THE  HOME  AND  ITS 
MANAGEMENT 

A  HANDBOOK  IN  HOMEMAKING  WITH 

THREE  HUNDRED  INEXPENSIVE 

COOKING  RECEIPTS 


MABEL  HYDE  KITTREDGE 

f  i 
President  of  the  Association  of  Practical  Housekeeping  Centers  in  New  York  City 

Chairman  of  the  New  York  School  Lunch  Committee 

Author  of  "Practical  Homemaking,"  "A  Second  Course  in 

Homemaking,"   "Housekeeping  Notes" 


NEW  YORK 
THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1918 


Copyright,  1917,  by 
MABEL  HYDE  KITTREDGE 


TO 

WILLIAM  WEBSTER  ELLSWORTH 


416481 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     THE  HOUSE  ITSELF 3 

11     KITCHEN 14 

III  DINING-ROOM 37 

IV  LIVING-ROOM        48 

V     BEDROOMS        54 

VI     PLUMBING 68 

VII     USEFUL  FACTS  FOR  THE  HOMEMAKER  ....  79 

VIII     LAUNDRY  WORK 89 

IX     MARKETING     ., no 

X     DIVISION   OF   INCOME 126 

XI     FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES 135 

XII     COOKING 15° 

XIII  COOKING — CONTINUED;  BAKING 163 

XIV  PRESERVING  FRUITS 175 

XV     CARE  OF  CHILDREN 183 

XVI     FOOD  FOR  INFANTS 203 

XVII     PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE;  HOME  CARE  OF  SICK  .  224 

XVIII     A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON 249 

XIX     CITY   WASTE 262 

WHAT  THE  BODY  NEEDS 282 

FOOD  VALUES  FROM  U.  S.  BULLETIN    ....  285 

INEXPENSIVE  COOKING  RECEIPTS 287 

INDEX 373 


THE  HOME  AND  ITS 
MANAGEMENT 


THE  HOME  AND  ITS 
MANAGEMENT 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  HOUSE  ITSELF 

Every  woman  or  girl  who  studies  homemaking  does  it 
because  she  knows  that  some  day,  from  the  bricks  or 
stone  or  wood  that  go  to  make  a  house,  she  must  create 
a  home.  The  house  may  shelter  the  family,  but  home  is 
what  makes  life  easier  and  better  for  each  member  of  it; 
home  should  give  health  to  the  tired  body  and  nerves 
and  refresh  the  mind.  The  home  must  have  a  certain 
sense  of  harmony  that  will  bring  a  feeling  of  pleasure  to 
all  who  come  into  its  circle.  It  must  have  order,  just  as 
truly  as  school  education  must  be  orderly.  Each  home 
must  have  what  we  call  individuality;  that  is,  it  must 
not  be  just  like  every  other  home,  but  express  the  people 
who  live  in  it.  The  law  recognizes  the  difference  be- 
tween the  mere  structure  or  building  and  the  idea  of  a 
home  where  human  beings  grow  and  develop.  There  are 
"  Building  Codes."  These  have  to  do  with  construction 
only.  Then  there  is  a  "  Housing  Code  "  in  nearly  every 
city  which  regulates  the  sanitary  condition  of  houses. 

Health  in  the  Home. 

There  is  a  close  relation  between  the  homes  of  a  na- 
tion and  the  health  of  a  nation,  and  an  intimate  relation 

3 


ITS  MANAGEMENT 

between  the  homes  of  a  people  and  the  character  of  a 
people.  In  London,  before  the  Great  War,  it  was  shown 
that  children  fourteen  years  of  age,  brought  up  in  over- 
crowded homes  that  were  without  sunlight,  were  on  an 
average  five  inches  shorter  and  thirteen  pounds  lighter 
than  were  children  brought  up  where  there  was  space 
and  plenty  of  sunlight. 

Woman's  Place  in  the  Household  Partnership. 

The  house  has  become  largely  the  woman's  affair,  and 
it  is  reasonable  to  feel  that  she  must  be  taught  how  to 
select  it  and  how  to  manage  it,  just  as  any  scientific 
worker  is  taught  his  profession.  The  home  is  really  the 
most  important  factor  in  the  nation's  life.  Home  work 
is  the  most  important  business  there  is.  And  the  woman 
who  manages  it  must  feel  this,  and  she  must  go  about  it 
as  a  man  goes  about  his  business.  She  is  usually  the  part- 
ner of  a  man  who  works  somewhere  and  earns  money  for 
the  support  of  the  family.  She  spends  his  money  in 
carrying  on  her  home  business,  and  it  is  not  fair  to  her 
partner  that  she  should  not  know  how  to  do  it  to  the  best 
advantage.  Two  men  would  not  remain  in  partnership 
very  long  if  the  one  who  furnished  the  capital  saw  his 
partner  wasting  it :  buying  badly  and  not  trying  to  learn 
how  to  do  his  share  well. 

What  the  Home  Has  Grown  Out  Of. 

The  right  kind  of  a  home  is  adapted  to  the  climate, 
place,  and  kind  of  life  in  which  it  is  to  serve  its  part. 
Primitive  people  make  their  homes  of  reeds,  of  grasses 
or  of  leaves  thatched  on  poles.  A  step  higher  in  civiliza- 
tion is  a  wooden  house,  and  even  the  early  natives  of 
Alaska  and  of  New  Zealand  used  wood.  In  lands  where 
there  are  deserts  and  very  few  trees,  wood  is  scarce,  and 


THE  HOUSE  ITSELF  5 

tents  are  used  for  temporary  homes,  and  permanent  ones 
are  made  out  of  clay  and  stone.  The  early  Egyptians  and 
the  Aztecs  of  Mexico  used  stone.  Such  log  houses,  or 
cabins,  as  were  built  by  the  first  white  settlers  in  America, 
were  simple  and  really  beautiful  because  of  their  sim- 
plicity. The  man  cut  down  the  trees  in  the  forest,  made 
them  into  logs,  and  built  the  house  which  his  wife  made 
into  a  home  for  the  family. 

Selecting  a  Home. 

When  you  try  to  find  a  house  to  live  in,  deal  directly 
with  the  landlord  if  you  can  instead  of  with  an  agent. 
It  is  better  that  the  tenant  should  be  personally  known  to 
the  landlord,  for  then  the  landlord  is  more  apt  to  be  inter- 
ested in  the  tenant.  Nothing  quite  takes  the  place  of  a 
personal  interview.  If  you  must  deal  with  an  agent,  at 
least  know  who  the  owner  of  the  house  is.  You  may 
need  to  consult  him. 

When  you  are  choosing  a  house,  remember  that  you 
are  going  to  live  inside  of  it  and  not  outside.  Consider 
the  arrangement  of  rooms  and  your  future  comfort, 
rather  than  a  pleasing  exterior  which,  after  all,  is  seen 
chiefly  by  your  neighbors. 

Honesty  in  Furnishing. 

Avoid  sham,  for  it  is  always  vulgar.  People  of  good 
taste  do  not  like  cheap  pretenses.  Don't  take  a  house 
full  of  factory-made,  useless  ornamentation.  Because 
of  the  perfection  of  modern  machinery,  shams  are 
easily  made.  Wood  can  be  made  to  look  like  stone ; 
pine  wood  can  be  stained  to  look  like  mahogany;  but  it 
is  better  that  your  house  and  everything  in  it  should  look 
just  what  it  is.  Honesty  and  simplicity  in  a  house  indi- 
cate the  character  of  the  owner  or  tenant  just  as  much  as 


6        THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

honesty  in  a  person.     Avoid  that  which  is  not  genuine  in 
your  house  and  in  its  furnishings. 

Here  are  the  questions  we  should  ask  ourselves  as  we 
go  out  to  select  a  home : 

1.  Is  the  street  quiet  and  do  the  neighbors  seem  to  be 
agreeable  ? 

2.  Is  there  a  good  view? 

3.  Is  the  house  near  the  place  of  business  of  the  wage- 
earners,  or  is  it  convenient  to  a  trolley  or  other  means  by 
which  the  place  of  business  can  be  reached? 

4.  Is  it  near  a  good  school?     (And  this  matter  should 
be  thoroughly  looked  into  if  there  are  young  children  in 
the  family.) 

5.  Is  there  a  grocer  and  butcher  near? 

6.  Can  fuel  easily  be  delivered? 

7.  If  in  the  country,  how  about  the  drainage  and  the 
water  supply?     Gas  and  electricity  also  should  be  con- 
sidered. 

8.  If  you  are  buying  the  property,  is  it  likely  to  advance 
in  value  or  to  depreciate  ? 

9.  Does  it  get  the  morning  sun  in  the  back  or  the  front 
windows?     (It  should.) 

10.  Are  the  windows  large  so  that  a  great  deal  of  light 
and  air  can  enter  the  house  ? 

11.  Are  there  windows  opposite  each  other  so  as  to 
have  a  through  draft?     Never  forget  that  draft  is  what 
you  need.     Fresh  air  diminishes  the  chance  of  "  catching 
cold."     Colds  are  usually  caused  by  the  saliva  of  one  with 
a  cold  sprayed  into  the  air  by  talking,  coughing,  and 
sneezing.     Heated,  shut-in  air  makes  the  lining  of  the 
nose  susceptible  to  germs.     Look  for  a  house  with  drafts 
in  it;  then  if  you  feel  them  don't  think  the  air  has  come 
into  your  house  to  give  you  a  cold  or  stiff  neck.    You  don't 


THE  HOUSE  ITSELF  7 

want  a  house  where  you  must  go  out  to  get  fresh  air. 
Let  the  fresh  air  come  to  you. 

12.  Are  the  taxes  reasonable? 

13.  How  about  the   rate   for  gas,  water,   or  electric 
light? 

Outside  Conditions. 

In    selecting    an    apartment    take    especial    notice    of 
the  outside  conditions  about  the  house: 


This  is  an  unsafe  fire-escape. 
Are  the  fire-escapes  in  good  condition? 
Are  they  easy  to  reach  from  the  apartments  ? 


8        THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


Is  the  yard  and  area-way  clean  ? 

Are  the  ash  and  garbage  cans  covered?  A  woman 
usually  can  tell  the  standards  of  the  owner  of  the  house 
by  these  conditions.  If  the  outside  is  dirty  the  inside  is 
almost  sure  to  be  badly  kept. 

Inside  Conditions. 

Notice  especially  the  halls.  Is  the  woodwork  in  good 
condition  ? 

Is  the  plaster  in  repair?     Are  the  halls  clean? 

In  the  apartment  itself:  Is  the  plumbing  in  good  re- 
pair? See  laws  pg.  71. 

Is  there  hot  water  at  all  times?  Is  there  sun  (prefer- 
ably morning)  in  at  least  one  room? 

Are  there  airshaft  rooms?     (Avoid  these.) 

Are  there  enough  windows  and  a  through  draft  in  most 
of  the  rooms? 

Is  the  kitchen  large  or  small?  A  small  kitchen  saves 
steps  and  allows  more  space  in  other  rooms  where  it  is 
needed,  while  a  large  kitchen  can  be  used  to  dine  in  as 
well  as  to  work  in.  See  page  2. 

Built-in  Fittings. 

Whether  you  rent  a  single  house  or  an  apartment, 
built-in  fittings  lessen  the  cost  of  furnishing.  Only  be 


THE  HOUSE  ITSELF  9 

particular  that  lines  are  good,  the  work  honest  and  simple, 
and  no  sham. 

General  Suggestions. 

One  room  often  serves  two  purposes.  A  kitchen  is 
used  sometimes  for  a  dining-room;  a  sitting-room  for 
a  bedroom.  In  a  small  apartment  it  may  not  be  pos- 
sible to  put  aside  a  separate  room  for  a  sitting  or  living- 
room  only.  The  dining-room  with  the  big  table  to  sit 
about  would  be  the  natural  one  to  select.  This  is  much 
better  than  turning  the  living-room  into  a  bedroom  at 
night.  Bedrooms  must  have  fresh,  unused  air  in  them 
when  night  conies. 

Excepting  in  the  case  of  bedrooms,  one  large  room  is 
better  than  two  small  ones. 

Don't  take  a,  house  where  one  room  leads  from  an- 
other with  no  independent  entrance.  Such  a  room  is  al- 
most useless. 

Locks. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  locks  on  all  the  doors.  For 
example,  the  kitchen,  living-room,  library,  and  dining- 
room  are  almost  never  locked.  A  good  catch  on  the  door 
is  needed ;  but  as  locks  get  out  of  order  when  not  used, 
you  will  find  the  lock  useless  if  only  occasionally  you 
want  to  turn  it. 

Have  as  many  fireplaces  in  your  house  as  possible  ;  these 
give  warmth,  cheer,  and  ventilation. 

See  that  the  house  is  dry,  especially  the  cellar ;  disease 
germs  live  and  breed  in  damp  places,  and  die  in  a  dry 
atmosphere. 

If  others  have  lived  in  the  house  before  you,  talk  with 
the  former  tenant.  If  it  is  a  new  house,  talk  with  some 
one  who  has  rented  from  the  same  landlord. 


io   THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

A  house  that  has  been  lived  in  is  more  apt  to  be  dry 
than  a  new  house. 

A  cold  dry  cellar  closet  can  be  used  for  preserving  food. 

Servants'  Rooms. 

If  there  are  servants'  rooms,  take  time  to  look  at  them 
carefully.  It  is  very  common  to  give  the  dark,  badly 
ventilated  part  of  the  house  to  the  servants.  They  must 
have  air  enough,  a  chance  to  bathe,  and  rooms  that  give 
health  and  pleasure.  A  home  means  not  only  the  rela- 
tion of  one  member  of  the  family  to  another,  but  the 
relation  of  servant  to  family.  The  servant  cannot  have 
dignity  and  self-respect  if  the  mistress  does  not  care 
where  she  sleeps  or  in  what  kind  of  a  room  she  rests  after 
her  housework. 

Heating. 

There  are  many  ways  of  heating  a  house. 

1st.  Open  fires.  These  only  heat  the  air  near  the  fire- 
place, and  as  the  hot  air  is  drawn  up  the  chimney  the  heat 
does  not  get  into  the  far  corners  of  the  room. 

2nd.  Coal,  wood,  and  gas  stoves.  A  stove  heats 
one  room,  but  there  is  no  means  of  carrying  the  heated  air 
into  other  rooms. 

3rd.  Hot-water  heating.  This  is  expensive,  but  for  a 
large  house  it  is  the  best.  By  this  method  a  furnace  heats 
large  coils  of  pipes  filled  with  water.  Over  these  pipes 
the  outdoor,  fresh  air  passes,  and  after  it  is  heated  by  the 
hot  water  pipes,  it  rises  through  registers  into  the  rooms 
above. 

4th.  Hot-air  heating.  Here  the  heated  air  from  the 
furnace  passes  directly  up  through  flues  into  the  rooms. 
This  air  has  lost  much  of  its  freshness  and  vitality. 

5th.     Steam  heating.     This  is  by  means  of  steam  radi- 


THE  HOUSE  ITSELF  II 

ators  in  the  rooms.  The  radiator  pipes  are  filled  with 
hot  steam,  and  then  the  radiator  heats  the  surrounding 
air  of  the  room  just  as  the  air  about  a  stove  is  heated.  In 
a  steam-heated  room  always  have  the  window  open  to  let 
in  fresh  air ;  don't  keep  reheating  the  same  old  devitalized 
air. 

Lighting. 

Be  careful  before  taking  a  house  or  apartment  to  notice 
where  the  lights  are  placed. 

Is  there  a  light  near  the  kitchen  sink?  Is  there  one 
near  the  stove?  (A  window  should  not  be  directly  oppo- 
site the  stove  as  in  that  case  the  cook  stands  in  her  own 
light.)  Is  there  one  near  the  stairs?  In  the  cellar  near 
the  furnace?  Near  the  cellar  closet?  Are  there  low 
lights  for  reading?  Will  it  be  necessary  to  depend  upon 
lamps?  Is  there  a  light  near  the  wall  space  where  the 
bureau  will  be  placed? 

These  seem  small  points  in  the  selection  of  a  home,  but 
they  will  mean  comfort  or  discomfort  later  on. 

Notice  whether  the  doors  have  large  openings,  as  a 
small  door  gives  neither  good  air  through  the  house  nor  a 
sense  of  space.  A  glass  over  the  front  door  will  give 
light  in  the  vestibule  at  night. 

HOUSING   LAWS    IN    CITIES 

If  girls  are  to  look  upon  housekeeping  as  an  important 
business,  they  should  know  the  laws  relating  to  housing 
conditions.  Each  girl  should  know  whether  the  state  or 
the  city  in  which  she  lives  has  adopted  good  housing  laws 
or  not.  And  she  should  know  whether  the  observance  of 
these  laws  are  under  the  care  of  the  building  department 
of  her  city,  or  the  tenement  house  department,  or  the 
health  department.  Then  she  will  know  where  to  obtain 


12   THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

redress  for  unhealthy  or  dangerous  conditions  in  her 
home.  Of  course,  she  cannot  keep  any  laws  unless  she 
knows  them.  For  state  and  city  ordinances  relating  to 
housing  conditions  write  to  Board  of  Health. 

Country  Houses. 

A  wise  farmer  or  breeder  of  animals  often  takes  more 
thought  where  he  places  his  cows  and  his  horses  than 
where  he  puts  his  family.  This  is  partly  because  he  con- 
siders it  his  business  to  look  after  the  farm,  while  it  is 
the  woman's  business  to  look  after  the  house.  But  the  law 
seldom  looks  after  country  houses.  Living  conditions  in 
the  country  or  small  town  are  often  so  very  bad  that 
the  farmer  finds  himself  powerless  to  change  them,  even 
though  he  has  the  desire.  There  is  often  no  water;  the 
houses  are  hard  to  heat ;  the  windows  are  smaller  than  a 
city  Board  of  Health  would  permit;  the  walls  are  thin; 
the  roofs  leak. 

One  reason  so  many  people  stay  in  the  city  is  that 
homes  in  the  country  often  are  not  comfortable.  Also 
country  people  live  far  apart  and  cannot  easily  get  to- 
gether and  demand  better  housing  conditions  as  the  people 
in  cities  have  done. 

If  you  are  considering  living  in  the  country,  choose 
ground  that  is  well  drained,  with  warm  soil  and  choose 
a  house  that  is  dry,  with  large  windows  and,  if  possible, 
running  water. 

A  piazza  is  a  great  comfort  as  an  addition  to  a  coun- 
try house,  for  in  summer  it  adds  to  the  pleasure  of  out- 
door life,  and  in  winter,  if  it  is  enclosed  with  glass,  it  will 
keep  the  house  much  warmer. 

Test  the  roof  in  a  rain  storm.  Test  the  fireplaces. 
Look  at  the  gutters  and  leaders. 

It  is  not  only  her  own  home  that  a  woman  should  have 


THE  HOUSE  ITSELF  13 

in  her  mind  as  she  studies  homemaking,  but  she  should 
realize  that  she  is  helping  to  lift  up  the  taste  and  increase 
the  comfort  and  the  health  of  the  entire  community. 

Each  person  can  do  a  little ;  even  a  sign  painted  does 
something.  It  is  said  that  when  a  shop  sign  or  poster 
is  well  done  it  helps  to  educate  the  people.  If  a  man 
whitewashes  a  back  court,  he  has  brought  in  light  and 
cleanliness,  and  he  may  be  encouraging  some  one  to  do  a 
larger  piece  of  work. 


CHAPTER  II 
KITCHEN 

Furnishing. 

Kitchen  work  is  hard  at  best.  The  kitchen,  there- 
fore, must  be  a  cheerful  room,  orderly  and  well  fur- 
nished. It  will  lighten  the  labor  of  cooking  if  you  get 
charm  and  even  gaiety  into  your  kitchen. 

A  small  kitchen  means  fewer  steps  for  the  cook,  and 
this  should  be  considered. 

The  ventilation  should  be  perfect.  This  necessitates 
windows  on  two  sides  of  the  room  so  as  to  get  a  draft 
through. 

Have  as  little  wood  in  the  fittings  and  utensils  as  pos- 
sible, because  wood  absorbs  odors  and  grease. 

Have  no  dark  closet  for  pots  and  pans.  It  is  easy  to 
forget  to  keep  a  place  clean  when  you  cannot  see  the  dirt, 
and  a  close,  shut-up  closet  is  not  as  good  for  cooking 
utensils  as  it  is  to  have  them  hanging  out  in  the  kitchen 
where  they  will  get  air.  In  many  kitchens  copper  and 
brass  utensils  hang  from  iron  hooks  at  the  side  or  in  the 
center  of  the  room,  and  these  add  much  to  the  beauty  of 
the  surroundings. 

The  floor  should  be  of  plain  wood,  or  covered  with 
oilcloth.  A  kitchen  must  have  a  floor  which  can  be  easily 
scrubbed. 

There  is  no  question  as  to  what  should  be  done  with 
the  walls  of  the  kitchen :  they  must  be  painted  and  so  made 
washable  even  if  the  other  rooms  are  papered. 

14 


KITCHEN  15 

There  should  be  no  shade  in  the  kitchen  window,  as 
the  window  must  be  open  top  and  bottom  at  all  times,  and 
the  shade  gets  torn  as  well  as  greasy.  If  protection  is 
needed,  have  muslin  half-curtains,  or  have  whole  curtains 
hanging  on  rings  so  that  they  may  easily  be  taken  down 
and  washed.  These  curtains  may  be  made  of  linen,  of 
gay  creton,  or  of  some  washable  material  that  will  be 
thick  enough  to  be  a  protection  when  the  gas  is  lighted. 

Be  careful  to  have  light  near  the  kitchen  sink,  and  light 
near  the  stove.  Food  has  to  be  watched  while  it  is  cook- 
ing, and  dishes  cannot  be  thoroughly  cleaned  in  the  dark. 


If  there  is  not  a  large  drainage  board  for  dishes,  have  a 
drop-shelf  built  beside  the  sink.  This  can  be  let  down 
when  not  in  use,  thus  saving  space. 

Hang  brooms  under  a  shelf  or  in  a  closet  built  for  the 
purpose.  Do  not  put  brooms  and  brushes  in  a  closet  with 
other  things. 

Have  all  the  pipes  connected  with  the  plumbing  in  plain 
sight.  Hidden  pipes  are  against  the  law  and  against  all 
ideas  of  sanitation. 

The  ornamentation  of  a  kitchen  lies  in  the  care  and  the 
arrangement  of  the  useful  implements.  There  never 
should  be  one  useless  article,  not  even  a  picture  on  the 
wall. 

Copper  and  brass  utensils,  a  shiny  black  stove,  a  spot- 
lessly white  table,  the  symmetry  with  which  pots  and 
pans,  dishes  and  jars  are  arranged,  and  perfect  cleanliness 
will  give  beauty  to  any  kitchen. 


16      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

An  atmosphere  of  perfect  order  is  one  of  the  hardest 
things  to  accomplish  in  a  room  where  much  work  is  done, 
but  it  is  necessary  to  have  this  order  in  the  kitchen  if  one 
would  have  comfort  and  a  sense  of  harmony  in  the  home. 

In  buying  kitchen  utensils  it  pays  to  buy  good  iron, 
aluminum,  brass,  and  copper  articles,  because  these  last 
for  a  long  time.  It  does  not  pay  to  buy  expensive  tin- 
ware, as  it  is  at  best  shortlived.  It  is  often  economy,  for 
example,  to  buy  tin  utensils  in  a  lo-cent  store  so  that  they 
often  can  be  replenished. 

Equipment  of  the  Kitchen. 

Each  article  in  the  kitchen  must  have  a  place  of  its 
own  so  that  it  can  be  found  in  the  dark  if  necessary. 

A  little  thought  as  to  where  to  put  things  in  the  first 
place,  a  nail  here  and  there,  and  a  determination  always 
to  put  each  article  back  in  its  own  place,  will  make  house- 
keeping less  tiresome  and  the  kitchen  so  comfortable  and 
orderly  that,  if  size  permits,  it  will  be  a  pleasant  room  to 
eat  in  as  well  as  to  cook  in. 

Kitchen  Work. 

Many  are  apt  to  think  of  the  work  of  the  kitchen  as 
consisting  of  cooking  only,  but  as  a  girl  studies  the  busi- 
ness of  housekeeping  she  will  realize  how  much  knowl- 
edge other  than  cooking  is  necessary  if  a  good  house- 
keeper would  run  her  kitchen  as  a  good  business  man  runs 
his  shop. 

Coal  Stove. 

The  first  thought  in  connection  with  a  home  after  the 
shelter  itself,  is  how  to  heat  the  house  and  cook  the 
food. 


KITCHEN  17 

Therefore,  the  stove  is  what  we  think  of  first  after  the 
house  has  been  secured. 

To  understand  one's  own  stove  will  save  money,  for 
a  great  deal  of  coal  or  gas  can  be  wasted  simply  by  not 
knowing  how  to  manage  the  stove.  One  can  waste  both 
time  and  patience  "  fussing  "  over  the  fire.  Much  good 
food  material  is  spoiled  by  not  knowing  how  to  regulate 
the  heat  in  the  oven. 

Every  housekeeper  responsible  for  the  home  work, 
whether  she  does  it  herself  or  directs  others  to  do  it, 
should  understand  her  fire  —  making  it,  feeding  it,  and 
cleaning  the  stove. 

This  work  can  be  very  dull  or  can  be  really  interesting. 
If  a  woman  thinks  of  homemaking  as  a  profession,  and 
is  determined  to  play  her  part  in  the  family  partnership 
with  the  greatest  efficiency,  she  will  look  upon  the  kitchen 
stove  as  her  most  valuable  tool. 

In  many  homes  gas  or  electricity  are  used  for  cooking 
instead  of  coal,  but  in  all  country  houses  and  many 
city  houses  the  coal  stove  is  still  the  only  means  of  cook- 
ing and  often  the  only  means  of  heating.  Even  if  a  girl 
at  the  present  time  has  gas  or  electricity  in  her  home  she 
should  know  about  a  coal  stove  as  she  is  almost  sure  to 
need  the  knowledge  some  day. 

When  purchasing  a  coal  stove,  be  sure  it  has  a  hot 
water  boiler  if  hot  water  is  not  furnished  in  the  house. 
A  good  stove  pays  in  the  saving  of  fuel. 

To  Clean  Gas  Stoves. 

Dissolve  soda  in  boiling  water  and  wash  the  stove  thor- 
oughly. Why?  Because  the  grease  from  food  is  bound 
to  soil  the  stove,  and  soda  removes  grease.  Soak  all 
separate  parts  of  the  stove  in  hot  soda-water. 


i8      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


Coal  Stove. 

Before  examining  the  stove,  if  it  has  been  used,  clean  it 
thoroughly,  remove  the  ashes  over  the  oven  box,  under 
the  oven  and  at  the  sides. 


In  this 
picture 
the  draft 
is  open. 


Then  examine  the  picture  in  the  book  and  notice  the 
direction  that  the  hot  air  takes. 

Be  sure  that  no  clinkers  or  ashes  interrupt  the  circula- 


In  this 
picture 
the  draft 
is  closed. 


tion  of  this  air.     To  understand  a  stove  thoroughly  it  is 
necessary  to  take  it  apart  as  far  as  possible. 

Each  furnace,  range,  or  stove  is  somewhat  different,  yet 
the  principle  of  all  is  the  same.  Each  has  a  damper, 
draft,  and  check,  each  must  have  an  escape  for  coal  gas 
and  smoke,  and  each  should  have  water  near  by  to  pre- 
vent the  air  from  becoming  too  dry. 


KITCHEN  19 

In  a  kitchen  stove  this  water  is  often  placed  on  top  of 
the  stove  in  a  bowl.  This  bowl  must  be  washed  and  re- 
filled each  morning.  In  a  furnace  the  water  is  in  a  pan 
attached  to  the  furnace. 

Damper. 

The  damper  is  a  flat  plate  which,  when  shut,  closes  a 
door  between  the  stove  and  the  chimney ;  when  the  damper 
is  open  much  of  the  heat  goes  up  the  chimney ;  when  it  is 
closed  the  heat  waves  go  around  and  over  the  oven.  The 
damper  is  never  entirely  closed  as  the  coal  gas  must  have 
an  escape  through  the  chimney. 

Drafts. 

The  drafts  are  doors  or  openings  that  come  below  the 
fire  box.  When  they  are  open  a  strong  current  of  air 
passes  up  through  the  fire  box  making  the  fire  burn  bet- 
ter. When  the  draft  is  closed  the  fire  burns  more  slowly, 
because  the  air  is  shut  out. 

Check. 

The  check  is  a  slide  or  small  door  above  the  fire-box. 
When  open,  cold  air  comes  in  on  top  of  the  fire ;  this  so 
retards  the  fire,  that  is  makes  it  burn  more  slowly. 

In  starting  the  fire,  open  the  damper  and  draft,  and 
close  the  check  so  that  there  will  be  a  draft  passing 
through  the  fire-box.  When  the  fire  is  well  started,  close 
the  damper  and  so  save  the  heat  which  otherwise  would 
continue  to  go  up  the  chimney. 

To  make  the  oven  hot  close  the  damper,  open  the 
draft  and  see  that  the  check  is  closed  tight. 

For  a  slow  fire  close  the  draft  and  damper,  and  open 
the  check. 


20       THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Near  the  Stove. 

The  things  needed  in  connection  with  the  stove  must 
hang  near  it.  You  should  never  have  to  look  about  for 
anything  required  to  manage  a  stove  or  range. 

Connected  with  the  stove  or  near  it,  one  must  have  a 
matchbox,  matches,  a  box  for  kindling,  a  place  for  news- 
papers, an  ash-can,  a  coal-scuttle  and  a  shovel,  a  stove 
lifter,  a  shaker,  a  poker,  and  a  rake  for  cleaning  out  soot 
from  all  air  spaces  under  and  over  the  oven,  a  blacking 
dauber  and  brush,  stove  blacking,  a  whiskbroom, —  and 
an  old  glove  to  protect  the  hand.  One  small  shelf  over 
the  stove  can  hold  all  of  these  things,  if  some  hang  on 
hooks  underneath. 

An  oven-cloth  should  be  near  at  hand  with  which  to  lift 
hot  dishes  and  so  avoid  any  danger  of  the  housekeeper 
using  her  apron  or  a  dish-towel  for  this  purpose. 

Making  the  Fire. 

First  take  out  the  ashes,  seeing  that  clinkers  and  fine 
ashes  are  removed  from  every  part  of  the  stove. 

Clean  the  space  over  the  oven  every  day  and  that  which 
is  under  the  oven  "at  least  once  a  week. 

Ashes  prevent  the  free  circulation  of  air  and  absorb  the 
heat.  Save  unbnrnt  coal. 

Lay  a  fire  lightly,  first  paper,  then  wood,  then  a  little 
coal.  Remember  that  a  packed  fire  will  not  burn,  because 
the  air  cannot  get  through  it. 

Before  lighting  the  fire  the  dust  should  be  brushed  from 
every  part  of  the  stove  and  the  stove  blackened. 

When  lighting  a  fire  have  all  drafts  open,  damper 
open,  and  check  closed.  Put  very  little,  if  any  coal  on  at 
first  and  add  more  coal  after  the  wood  begins  to  burn. 

When  the  coal  begins  to  burn  with  a  steady  blue  flame, 
close  the  damper. 


KITCHEN  21 

In  class  work,  the  pupils,  not  the  teacher,  should  do  all 
this. 

Blackening  the  Stove. 

Before  blackening  the  stove,  rub  it  off  with  a  damp 
newspaper.  A  range  should  be  blackened  every  morn- 
ing before  the  fire  is  lighted. 

Never  blacken  over  dust. 

Clean  the  stove  with  newspaper  if  anything  spills  on 
it. 

If  a  stove  is  not  thoroughly  polished  after  blackening, 
the  bottom  of  the  saucepans  will  become  dirty. 

It  is  necessary  occasionally  to  scrub  the  stove  with  soda- 
water  which  will  remove  all  old  blacking. 

During  the  day  rake  but  do  not  shake  the  fire. 

Never  have  the  coal  reach  the  lids  of  the  stove,  as  this 
cracks  them. 

Never  allow  the  stove  to  get  red  hot;  it  warps  the  lids. 

To  cool  a  too  hot  fire  open  the  check  or  lift  the  lids. 

While  the  fire  is  starting,  it  is  a  good  time  for  the 
girls  to  learn  something  about  the  history  of  stoves,  coal, 
wood,  and  matches. 

Never  forget  that  the  amount  of  interest  one  gets  out 
of  a  subject  is  in  exact  proportion  to  the  amount  of  study 
and  good  spirit  one  puts  into  that  subject. 

In  this  book  there  are  a  few  facts  about  coal,  wood, 
and  matches,  but  each  girl  will  enjoy  her  stove  more  if 
she  finds  out  something  for  herself  in  relation  to  these 
commodities. 

Coal. 

The  first  coal  was  taken  from  the  ground  in  America  in 
1750,  in  Richmond,  Virginia.  At  the  time  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  coal  was  first  used  as  fuel. 


22      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

There  are,  in  general,  two  kinds  of  coal :  Anthracite, 
or  hard  coal ;  bituminous,  or  soft  coal. 

The  principal  deposits  of  anthracite  coal  in  this  country 
are  found  in  Pennsylvania. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  anthracite  coal : 
White  Ash,      $7.00  a  ton  in  1916  in  New  York  City 
Pink  Ash,  7.25  a  ton  in  1916  in  New  York  City 

Red  Ash  7.75  a  ton  in  1916  in  New  York  City 

These  are  the  prices  when  bought  by  the  ton.  It  always 
saves  money  to  buy  coal  in  large  quantities  and  by  weight. 
Bituminous,  or  soft,  coal  cost  in  1916  about  $14.00  a 
ton.  It  burns  more  quickly'  than  hard  coal  and  makes  a 
great  deal  of  smoke  and  soot  in  the  burning.  For  this 
reason,  in  most  cities,  factories  are  forbidden  to  use  soft 
coal.  The  engines  on  many  railroads  use  soft,  or  bitu- 
minous coal  —  but  nowadays  less  and  less  of  it,  because  of 
the  smoke  and  the  fact  that  soft  coal  sends  forth  sparks 
which,  as  the  train  rushes  through  the  country,  is  apt  to 
set  the  woods  on  fire. 

Brickets. 

Brickets  are  bricks  made  of  coal-dust.  They  give  a 
very  hot  fire  but  burn  very  quickly. 

Charcoal. 

Charcoal  is  wood  which  has  gone  through  a  certain 
process  of  combustion.  It  is  not  cheap;  it  gives  a  very 
hot  fire  but  burns  out  quickly.  It  is  used  by  plumbers, 
tinsmiths,  and  other  artizans.  It  is  seldom  used  for  cook- 
ing purposes,  as  this  would  be  expensive  on  account  of  the 
rapidity  with  which  it  is  consumed. 

Wood. 

It  is  much  cheaper  to  buy  kindling-wood  by  the  bag  or 
load  than  in  bundles.  It  is  necessary  to  use  only  very  lit- 


KITCHEN  23 

tie  kindling  to  start  a  fire  if  it  is  laid  correctly,  that  is, 
lightly  on  the  paper  —  and  the  paper  loose.  (Never  stuff 
a  whole  newspaper  in  at  the  bottom  of  the  fire-box.) 
Also,  remember  that  a  clean  stove  is  a  saving  of  wood  as 
well  as  coal ;  for  only  in  a  clean  stove  can  the  hot  air 
circulate  easily. 

Matches. 

Before  matches  were  manufactured,  flint  and  steel  were 
struck  together  and  the  sparks  fell  among  tinder  or  on 
paper  and  set  it  afire.  Many  attempts  were  made  to  use 
chemicals  for  the  production  of  a  fire,  but  it  was  not 
until  1827  that  a  druggist  in  England  made  a  really  prac- 
tical match.  He  sold  matches  at  the  high  price  of  84 
matches  for  25  cents.  In  1833,  a  man  called  Preschel,  of 
Vienna,  opened  the  first  factory  for  making  phosphorous 
matches. 

DISH    WASHING,    KITCHEN    CLEANING    AND    WASHING 
KITCHEN    UTENSILS 

Dish  Washing. 

The  piling,  scraping,  and  rinsing  of  dishes  is  quite  ar 
important  as  the  washing.  Dishes  that  stand  a  long  time 
before  scraping  require  more  effort  to  wash. 

It  is  well  in  every  practice  kitchen  to  have  the  direc- 
tions for  dish- Washing  typewritten  and  tacked  on  th? 
wall. 

1.  Scrape  dishes. 

2.  Pile  dishes. 

3.  Wash  dishes. 

4.  Rinse  dishes. 

5.  Wipe  dishes. 

6.  Put  away  in  neat  piles. 


24      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Scraping. 

Scrape  all  pieces  of  food  from  the  dishes  onto  one  plate 
and  when  every  dish  is  scraped,  empty  this  plate  into  the 
garbage  pail,  which  first  may  be  lined  with  newspapers. 
This  paper  must  not  be  thrown  into  the  can  with  the  gar- 
bage when  the  house  garbage  is  emptied  into  the  street 
cans. 

Piling  Dishes. 

Pile  the  dishes  in  order  of  size :  cups  together,  saucers 
together,  plates  together.  Put  knives,  forks,  and  spoons 
together,  handles  all  one  way.  Never  set  one  glass  in  an- 
other. 

Soaking  Dishes. 

Soak  all  cooking  dishes,  and  put  on  one  side  those 
which  were  used  in  the  preparation  of  food,  to  be  washed 
with  the  table  dishes  after  the  meal. 

Soak  with  cold  water  all  milk  dishes,  all  dishes  that 
have  had  dough  in  them,  and  all  egg  and  cereal  dishes. 
Soak  with  hot  water  all  dishes  that  have  had  sugar  in 
them,  and  all  the  greasy  dishes.  A  little  soda  added  to 
the  water  in  which  the  greasy  dishes  are  soaked  will 
make  the  later  washing  easier. 

To  Wash  Dishes. 

Use  two  dish  pans,  or  a  stationary  sink  and  one  pan, 
or  better  still  a  double  dish-washing  sink,  with  very  hot 
water ;  a  draining  tray,  or  stationary  draining  board ; 
dish  cloth,  not  mop ;  and  enough  dish  towels  so  that  you 
can  take  a  fresh  dry  towel  as  often  as  the  one  you  are 
using  gets  too  wet.  If  you  have  to  heat  water,  refill  the 
kettle  at  once  after  taking  water  from  it,  but  it  is  easier 
to  have  a  large  boiler  for  this  purpose. 


KITCHEN  25 

Make  the  hot  dish-water  soapy  with  a  soap  shaker ; 
never  leave  soap  in  the  water  (washing-soda  instead  of 
soap  is  used  by  the  Jewish  people).  Have  rinsing  water 
very  hot  with  no  soap  or  soda.  If  rinsing  water  is  boil- 
ing hot,  place  dishes  in  a  wire  rack  and  allow  them  to  dry 
by  their  own  heat ;  a  dish  towel  is  then  unnecessary.  Be 
sure  dishes  are  dry  before  putting  them  away.  As  soon 
as  you  can  afford  it  buy  a  dish  washing  machine.  The 
saving  in  labor  more  than  balances  the  purchase  price. 

When  rinsing  water  is  not  boiling  hot,  take  the  dishes 
from  the  rinsing  pan  and  drain  them  on  the  rack  or  tray, 
placing  the  dishes  upside  down ;  thus  some  water  runs  off 
and  dish  towels  do  not  as  quickly  get  wet. 

Order  of  Washing  Dishes. 

Wash  the  cleanest  first :  glasses,  silver,  teacups,  saucers, 
rest  of  china,  granite  and  tinware,  pots  and  pans.  The 
kitchen  knives  and  forks  should  always  be  scrubbed  at  the 
time  they  are  washed  with  Sapolio  or  with  bath  brick  or 
ashes.  A  cork  is  better  for  cleaning  knives  than  a  cloth. 
Do  not  put  handles  of  knives  in  the  water  as  it  loosens 
them  by  melting  the  glue. 

To  Clean  Milk  Bottle. 

First  soak  the  bottle  in  cold  water;  second,  wash  with 
other  glassware  in  hot  soapy  water ;  third,  rinse  with  hot 
water. 

Pots,  Pans,  and  Kettles. 

Clean  seams  of  pans  with  a  match  stick  or  wooden 
skewer. 

To  clean  a  pan  or  kettle  in  which  something  has  been 
burnt,  fill  with  water,  add  a  handful  of  soda,  and  boil. 
Repeat  this  process,  if  not  successful  at  first. 


26      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Dry  tinware  near  the  stove. 

Dry  woodenware  in  the  sun  (never  near  the  stove). 

After  the  dishes  are  washed  and  wiped,  scrub  the  sink 
or  pans,  dry  them,  and  always  hang  up  the  dish  pans  after 
using. 

Wipe  off  the  top  of  the  table  where  the  dish  pans  have 
stood,  scrub  the  draining  board  or  wash  the  draining 
trays,  and  then  wash  out  the  dish  towels. 

Washing  Dish  Towels. 

Dish  towels  must  be  washed  every  time  they  are  used. 
If  grease  is  allowed  to  dry  on  the  towels,  it  is  hard  to  get 
them  clean.  Wash  dish  towels  while  they  are  still  wet. 
Remember  if  they  are  not  thoroughly  washed  every  time 
they  are  used,  and  boiled  once  a  week,  they  are  not  free 
from  grease,  and  the  towels  will  have  an  odor  of  grease 
as  well  as  the  dishes  which  are  wiped  with  them. 

Use  clean  pan  and  plenty  of  hot  water,  a  small  rub- 
bing board,  and  soap.     Wash  one  towel  at  a  time,  rinse 
each  piece  in  a  separate  basin,  shake  out,  stretch  on  rack 
with  edges  even ;  do  it  well  and  no  ironing  is  required. 
Scrubbing  Kitchen  Table. 

The  kitchen  table  can  be  a  beautiful  piece  of  furniture, 
but  it  needs  daily  care,  and  always  the  right  care. 

Scrub  the  kitchen  table  every  day.  Use  basin  of  hot 
water,  two  cloths,  small  scrubbing  brush  and  Dutch 
Cleanser  or  Sapolio  (never  use  soap,  as  it  makes  the  table 
yellow). 

Wash  one  half  of  the  table  at  a  time  to  leave  place  for 
the  cleaning  materials. 

1.  Wipe  table  with  cloth  wrung  out  in  hot  water. 

2.  Shake  Dutch  Cleanser  on  the  wet  half  and  scrub 
with   the  brush.     Scrub   always   with  the   grain   of   the 


KITCHEN  27 

wood,  as  scrubbing  around  or  across  the  grain  does  not 
take  the  dirt  out  and  leaves  streaks. 

3.  Wipe  off  the  cleaning  material  with  a  wet  cloth. 

4.  Wipe  with  a  dry  cloth. 

Do  second  half  in  the  same  way,  placing  the  cleaning 
materials  on  the  half  of  table  that  has  been  washed. 

After  table  is  washed,  put  away  Dutch  Cleanser,  empty, 
rinse,  and  dry  the  pan,  rinse  out  brush,  put  the  brush 
away  with  bristles  down,  wash  out  the  cloths,  wipe  up  the 
floor  under  the  table  if  any  water  has  been  spilled,  hang 
up  the  pan,  and  put  all  cleaning  cloths  on  towel  rack  to 
dry,  stretching  them  out  smooth. 

All  bare  wood,  that  is,  unpainted,  unvarnished,  and  un- 
stained wood,  is  cleaned  exactly  like  the  kitchen  table. 

Putting  away  work  after  cleaning  is  as  much  a  part 
of  good  housekeeping  as  the  cleaning  itself. 

Kitchen  Sink. 

Near  the  sink  there  always  should  be  kept  a  sink 
brush,  a  sink  shovel,  a  soap  dish,  washing  soda,  a  soap 
shaker,  a  strainer,  wood  ashes,  and  a  knife-brick  or 
Sapolio  for  cleaning  knives. 

To  Clean  Sink. 

First  brush  all  the  bits  of  food  and  dirt  from  the  sink 
with  the  sink  brush  and  shovel,  and  put  these  scraps  into 
the  garbage-pail.  Place  over  the  sink  strainer  a  small 
rubber  mat  or  a  cup,  to  prevent  the  soda  from  running 
down  too  quickly.  Next  put  a  handful  of  soda  in  the 
sink  and  pour  on  it  boiling  hot  water,  scrubbing  the  in- 
side of  the  sink  with  the  sink  brush  while  the  soda  dis- 
solves. Remove  mat  or  cup,  allowing  boiling  water  and 
soda  to  run  down  the  pipe.  Then  let  clear  hot  water  run 


28      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

down  the  pipe  until  you  are  sure  all  grease  and  soda  are 
rinsed  away.  Soda  left  in  pipe  will  eat  into  pipe,  and 
while  soda  and  grease  together  are  cleansing  when  hot, 
if  allowed  to  cool  they  make  a  hard  soap  that  clogs  the 
pipes. 

Tinware. 

On  tin  pots  and  pans  one  will  often  find  rust.  Rust 
comes  from  dampness.  If  a  tin  pan  is  found  rusty  in  the 
cracks  we  can  be  sure  it  was  not  thoroughly  dried  near 
the  stove,  or  that  the  closet  where  it. hung  was  damp. 

Bon  Ami  or  whiting  are  good  for  brightening  tinware. 
But  when  tin-covers  of  saucepans  are  dulled  by  the  steam 
it  is  not  possible  to  make  them  as  bright  as  new. 

Ironware. 

Kerosene  and  ashes  will  remove  rust  from  ironware. 
Take  an  old  cloth  (that  can  be  thrown  away  afterwards) 
and  rub  the  iron  utensil  with  the  ashes  and  kerosene. 
Then  wash  with  strong,  hot  soda-water,  and  rinse  in  clear 
hot  water.  Dry  on  the  stove. 

If  iron  is  very  rusty,  cover  it  with  some  sort  of  grease 
(mutton  fat  or  tallow  are  good),  sprinkle  with  lime,  and 
let  it  stand  over  night.  Wash  next  morning  in  hot  soda- 
water  and  dry  thoroughly.  A  very  rusty  sink  may  be 
cleaned  in  this  way,  but  be  very  careful  of  the  hands  as 
lime  hurts  the  skin. 

Woodenware. 

Wood  holds  odors  unless  great  care  is  taken.  Wood 
often  needs  soda  and  boiling  water  to  cleanse  it  and  sun 
and  air  to-  dry  it.  The  stove  heat  is  bad  for  wooden 
utensils.  Any  one  furnishing  her  own  house  should  buy 
as  few  wooden  utensils  as  possible. 


KITCHEN  29 

Agateware. 

Agate-  and  enamel-ware  are  very  good,  but  they  crack 
and  break  if  not  washed  and  dried  properly,  or  if  the 
material  is  cheap.  A  half  dried  agate  kettle  put  on  a  stove 
to  dry  is  apt  to- crack.  If  an  agate  lined  pot  or  kettle  is 
allowed  to  boil  dry,  the  lining  will  crack  and  break  off. 
Careful  soaking  so  that  there  will  be  no  need  to  scrape 
these  utensils  helps  greatly  to  preserve  them.  Never  use 
a  knife ;  use  paper  to  wipe  out  the  worst  dirt.  Wipe  off 
any  utensil  blackened  by  the  stove  with  a  piece  of  paper 
before  washing  it. 

Aluminum. 

This  is  the  best  material  for  kitchen '  utensils  and  al- 
though quite  expensive  at  first,  in  the  end  it  pays.  To 
clean  aluminum  ware  buy  for  ten  cents  one  package  "  OO 
Steel  Wool  and  Ivory  soap."  Take  piece  of  wool  the  size 
of  an  egg  and  using  this  as  a  dishcloth  wash  soiled  alumi- 
num utensils  with  hot  water  and  Ivory  soap. 

i 

Cleaning  the  Bread-Box. 

Each  week  the  bread-box  should  be  emptied,  and  all 
crumbs  removed ;  then  wash  it  with  hot  water  and  soda ; 
thoroughly  rinse  it  with  clean  hot  water,  and  dry  and  air 
it  (in  the  sun  if  possible). 

Window  Shelf. 

The  window  shelf  is  an  ice-box  in  winter. 

In  winter  we  can  save  money  by  using  this  outdoor 
shelf  instead  of  an  ice-box.  The  cold  outdoor  air  is  free, 
while  ice  is  expensive.  This  window  shelf  must  not  be 
placed  at  the  fire-escape  window. 

The  law  about  putting  food  on  fire-escapes  does  not 
vary  in  different  states  or  cities.  Everywhere  it  says:: 


30      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

"  Xo  person  shall  at  any  time  place  any  incumbrance  of  any 
kind  before  or  upon  any  fire  escape." 

It  is  an  offense  punishable  with  a  fine  if  persons  break 
this  law.  It  is  only  the  amount  of  the  fine  that  differs  in 
the  various  cities. 

In  making  this  window  shelf,  be  sure  that  it  has  a 
slanting  roof  to  allow  rain  and  snow  to  run  off ;  that 
it  has  holes  bored  in  the  back  to  admit  cold  air,  and  at 
least  a  half  inch  opening  between  the  shelf  itself  and  the 
upright  back,  to  allow  the  dust  to  be  swept  out  and  also 
to  prevent  the  possibility  of  food  lodging  in  cracks. 

An  enamel-cloth  curtain  will  hide  the  contents. 

To  preserve  ice,  wrap  in  woolen  cloth  and  then  in 
newspaper. 

If  ice  is  buried  in  the  ground  it  will  last  for  days. 

Cleaning  Window-Shelf. 

Take  everything  from  the  shelf.  Put  them  one  side 
out  of  the  way.  Brush  and  wipe  off  the  top  of 
the  box.  Wipe  out  the  inside  with  a  damp  cloth,  using 
a  pointed  stick  or  skewer  to  dig  out  any  scraps  of  food 
that  may  have  gotten  into  the  cracks.  The  least  particle 
of  food  allowed  to  spoil  in  the  window-box  gives  a  bad 
odor  to  the  fresh  food.  Now,  scrub  with  hot  water  and 
soda.  Do  not  wash  the  enamel  curtain  with  soda-water, 
as  the  soda  makes  the  enamel  cloth  crack.  Soap  and 
water  are  the  best  for  enamel  cloth. 

The  window-box  must  be  perfectly  dry  before  you 
return  the  contents.  Water  soaked  wood  gives  a  bad 
odor  to  food. 

Ice-Box. 

The  ice-box  should  be  always  in  the  coolest  part  of  the 
kitchen.  The  drain-pipe  of  the  ice-box,  even  when  the 


KITCHEN  31 

ice-box  is  built  into  the  house,  has  no  direct  connection 
with  other  household  plumbing;  sewer  gas  might  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  ice-box  if  it  had. 

A  pan  for  water  is  found  under  the  ice-box.  This 
must  be  emptied  when  necessary,  and  cleaned  twice  a 
week,  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  way  the  ice-box 
is  cleaned. 

Cleaning  Ice-Box. 

In  cleaning  the  ice-box  remove  all  food  and  ice,  and 
wash  the  inside  of  the  box  with  hot  suds;  rinse  with 
hot  soda-water  and  again  with  clear  hot  water.  Take 
special  care,  in  scrubbing  off  racks  and  shelves  that  no 
particles  of  food  are  left  in  the  grooves.  Use  a  skewer 
to  dig  out  the  corners.  Draw  an  old  cloth  through  the 
drain-pipe,  or  have  a  small  brush  for  the  purpose,  for 
grease  is  apt  to  lodge  in  this  pipe.  Dry  the  ice-box  and 
air  it  for  at  least  half  an  hour. 

Wash  the  pan  under  the  ice-box  in  hot  soda-water. 

Cleaning  the  Kitchen  Thoroughly,  Including  Closets. 

In  giving  the  kitchen  a  thorough  cleaning  (which  must 
be  done  at  least  once  a  month)  always  clean  out  the  closets 
first.  The  reason  for  this  is  easy  to  see.  You  do  not 
want  the  dirt  from  the  closet  to  be  swept  into  a  clean 
kitchen. 

Any  closet  that  holds  food  should  be  cleaned  once  a 
week. 

Cleaning  Closets. 

Take  everything  from  one  shelf  at  a  time,  dusting  each 
article  and  placing  it  on  the  table,  which  has  first  been 
covered  with  a  paper.  Do  not  mix  articles  from  the  dif- 
ferent shelves ;  it  makes  confusion  later. 


32      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

To  clean  closets,  if  the  shelves  are  unpainted,  use  the 
same  utensils  as  were  necessary  for  cleansing  the  kitchen 
table ;  a  basin  of  hot  water,  two  cotton  cloths,  small  scrub- 
bing brush,  and  Dutch  Cleanser  or  Sapolio.  Before 
scrubbing  the  shelves  wipe  doors,  walls  and  top  of  closet 
with  a  damp  cloth. 

Dust  off  shelves  with  damp  cloth. 

Scatter  on  the  Dutch  Cleanser  and  scrub  with  brush 
and  hot  water  (with  the  grain  of  the  wood). 

Wipe  off  the  Cleanser  with  clean  cloth,  and  then  thor- 
oughly dry. 

Mold  and  a  bad  odor  are  the  result  of  returning  things 
to  a  closet  and  shutting  it  up  before  it  is  thoroughly 
dry. 

Should  the  closet  smell  musty,  wash  it  with  hot  soda- 
water  after  scrubbing  the  shelves,  or  add  a  little  ammonia 
to  the  cleaning  water. 

If  ants  or  cockroaches  are  found  in  the  closets :  first,, 
clean  shelves  thoroughly;  then  boil  a  half  pound  of  sul- 
phur and  four  ounces  of  potash  in  water  in  an  earthen- 
ware vessel  until  dissolved.  Cool,  dilute,  if  necessary; 
put  into  cracks  and  holes.  Be  very  careful  not  to  have 
this  liquid  touch  any  of  the  food. 

While  the  closet  is  drying  it  is  a  good  time  to  wash  out 
empty  jars  in  hot  soda-water;  also,  to  wash  and  air  the 
bread-box. 

Glass  jars  are  the  best  receptacles  in  which  to  keep 
dry  groceries;  because  one  can  see  the  contents  without 
opening  the  top  and  looking  in;  also,  one  can  see  when 
any  article  needs  replenishing.  The  jars  are  tight;  no 
insects,  air  or  dust  can  get  in,  and  any  one  can  tell 
when  they  need  washing.  They  can  be  marked  with  the 
name  of  the  article.  Use  ready  mixed  black  oil  paint 
for  this  and  a  very  small  brush,  and  print  the  name 


KITCHEN  33 

•on  the  jar.  After  it  is  dry,  cover  the  name  with  a 
thin  coating  of  white  liquid  shellac. 

The  closet  for  pots  and  pans ;  closet  for  dish-towels, 
cleaning  cloths  and  aprons;  drawers  for  knives,  forks, 
etc.,  all  are  cleaned  in  the  same  way  as  the  food  closet. 
Where  the  work  in  the  home  is  very  heavy  it  is  often 
better  to  clean'  one  or  two  closets  every  week  rather 
than  all  the  closets  on  the  same  day. 

Every  shelf  and  closet  must  be  kept  clean.  How  often 
they  are  washed  must  be  decided  by  each  housekeeper. 

Always  arrange  in  perfect  order  all  articles  that  have 
been  taken  from  the  closet.  A  closet  may  be  perfectly 
clean  and  yet  not  orderly  or  attractive. 

We  have  now  learned  exactly  how  to  clean  all  kitchen 
closets.  The  main  body  of  the  kitchen  is  cleaned  every 
•day,  but  has  a  thorough  cleaning  (by  that  is  meant  re- 
moving all  furniture  from  the  room,  cleaning  walls, 
closets,  etc.)  at  least  once  a  month. 

Never  forget  that  your  kitchen  is  the  most  important 
room  in  the  house  when  considered  from  the  point  of 
view  of  health.  Our  life  depends  so  largely  upon  the 
food  we  eat,  and  the  cleanly  way  in  which  the  food  is 
prepared  that  no  effort  is  wasted  which  is  spent  in  good 
kitchen  work. 

To  Clean  Kitchen  After  Closets  Are  Cleaned. 

First  dust  and  take  from  the  room  everything  that  can 
be  moved;  do  the  stove  cleaning  next  as  this  is  the 
dirtiest  work ;  then  sweep  the  floor,  after  which  cover  a 
broom  with  a  cloth  and  wipe  down  the  walls.  Next 
wash  the  painted  walls  and  all  woodwork  with  a  woolen 
cloth.  The  unpainted  and  unvarnished  shelves  should 
then  be  scrubbed  as  we  learned  to  scrub  the  bare  wood  of 
the  kitchen  tabla 


34      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

To  Clean  Painted  Woodwork. 

Dust  the  woodwork  with  a  cloth.  Wash  with  warm 
water  and  white  soap.  Soda  or  Sapolio  should  never  be 
used  as  they  take  off  the  paint.  Use  a  small  brush  to 
take  the  dust  from  the  grooves,  and  two  cloths,  one  for 
washing  and  one  for  drying.  Many  add  a  few  drops 
of  Sulpho-Naphthol  or  other  disinfectant  to  the  cleaning 
water,  but  soap  is  a  disinfectant  in  itself. 

While  the  shelves  and  woodwork  are  drying,  wash  the 
windows. 

To  Wash  Windows. 

Use  a  pan  of  hot  water,  a  duster,  two  cleaning  cloths 
and  a  dish  of  Bon  Ami.  Place  them  on  a  newspaper 
near  the  window.  Bon  Ami  is  but  one  of  many  cleansers 
that  can  be  used  for  washing  windows. 

First  Method.  Dust  the  window  and  woodwork  and 
then  apply  a  thick  coating  of  Bon  Ami  to  the  glass.  Let 
it  dry,  and  rub  off  with  a  dry  cloth.  With  a  wet 
dusting  cloth  wipe  off  the  woodwork  around  the  window- 
panes.  Newspaper  or  tissue  paper  is  very  good  for 
polishing  windows. 

Second  Method.  To  clean  windows,  add  a  few  drops 
of  kerosene  and  ammonia  to  a  pan  of  hot  water.  Use  a 
duster,  two  cleaning  cloths  and  a  newspaper.  Dust  the 
windows,  wash,  dry  and  polish. 

Besides  this  general  cleaning,  windows  should  be  dusted 
every  day  with  a  dry  duster. 

A  little  alcohol  added  to  the  water  in  the  winter  pre- 
vents its  freezing. 

The  last  cleaning  in  this  thorough  cleaning  work  is 
the  floor. 


KITCHEN  35 

Scrubbing  the  Floor. 

For  cleaning  an  unpainted  floor  have  a  pail  of  hot 
water,  a  floor-brush,  floor-cloth  and  soap.  Scouring 
powder  may  be  used  or  soda.  The  condition  of  the  floor 
must  decide  which  cleaning  agent  to  use.  Grease  can  be 
taken  from  the  floor  with  soda,  lime  and  hot  water. 

Decks  of  ships  are  scrubbed  with  Fuller's  Earth,  soft 
soap  and  silver  sand  —  equal  amounts  of  each.  Boil  with 
water  in  an  old  saucepan.  Keep  in  a  jar  and  when  you 
use  it  take  a  small  quantity,  dilute  with  water  and  use  in- 
stead of  soap. 

Even  if  the  floor  has  been  swept  it  should  be  wiped, 
section  by  section,  before  scrubbing.  Scrub  a  small  space 
at  a  time  and  wipe  off  with  a  wet  cloth ;  scrub  with  soap 
following  the  grain  of  the  wood ;  or  you  can  scrub  with 
Fuller's  Earth  preparation;  rinse  and  dry  with  a  cloth 
wrung  out  in  the  scrubbing  pail.  Change  the  scrubbing 
water  very  often. 

Return  furniture  to  the  kitchen  when  the  floor  is  dry. 

A  good  housekeeper  will  scrub  her  kitchen  two  or 
three  times  a  week,  after  the  day's  work  is  done. 

A  kitchen  should  be  left  at  night  in  perfect  order  so 
that  you  will  find  it  so  when  you  begin  work  in  the 
morning. 

Scouring  Material. 

Coarse  scouring  soap  for  iron  and  steel  ware. 

Fine  scouring  soap  for  windows,  enamel,  nickel  and  tin. 

Scouring  powders  for  unfinished  wood  and  tinware. 

Kerosene,  plain  or  with  sifted  ashes,  for  cleaning  zinc, 
removing  rust,  cleaning  bath-tubs  when  stained,  knives, 
iron  sinks,  etc.  As  a  vermin  preventive,  kerosene  is  also 
excellent. 


36      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Brass  polish,  liquid  or  paste,  for  all  brass  and  copper. 

Silver  polish,  whiting  or  prepared  polish,  for  nickel  and 
silver. 

Vermin  destroyers  made  of  carbolic-acid  preparations. 
Corrosive  sublimate  preparation,  for  bedbugs. 

Disinfectants,  without  oils,  for  mattresses,  general  dust- 
ing, especially  in  cracks  and  dark  places. 

Sulphur  preparations  for  destroying  and  preventing 
roaches  and  ants. 

Alcohol,  to  prevent  water  from  freezing. 

Ammonia  is  good  after  cleaning  bath-tub  with  kero- 
sene. Soak  handkerchiefs  in  ammonia  water.  Ammonia 
water  brightens  rugs. 

Chloride  of  lime  for  sink  pipes  and  water-closets. 

Sal.  soda  for  cleaning  where  grease  has  collected ;  also 
for  dish  washing  in  Jewish  homes  because  soap  is  not 
Kosher. 

Brown  soap  for  laundry  and  hard  cleaning.  Brown 
soap  is  strong  because  of  the  resin  in  it. 

White  soap  for  white  paint  and  fine  laundering. 


CHAPTER  III 
DINING-ROOM    . 

Furnishing. 

The  furnishing  of  a  dining-room  should  be  very  simple, 
if  the  room  is  used  only  as  n  place  in  which  to  eat,  all  of 
the  furnishings  should  suggest  this  object. 

Often  a  dining-room  is  used  as  a  living-room  as  well. 
Then  more  than  ever  it  must  not  be  cluttered  with  un- 
necessary furnishings,  for  the  occupations  of  the  family 
will  need  all  the  room  possible. 

The  table  does  not  necessarily  have  to  be  in  the  center 
of  the  room,  but  can  be  in  an  alcove  at  one  side,  thus 
giving  more  sense  of  space.  See  page  2. 

The  chairs  need  not  be  all  alike.  In  a  small  house  or 
apartment  six  or  eight  chairs  exactly  the  same  might  make 
a  joint  dining-room  and  living-room  appear  like  the  room 
of  an  institution. 

China. 

Shelves  for  china  are  better  than  a  cheap  sideboard. 
The  shelves  can  be  stained  with  alcohol  stain  and  waxed 
until  they  have  a  high  polish.  Any  kind  of  a  side- 
board is  too  large  for  a  small  apartment  room,  and 
yet  people  who  cannot  afford  it  feel  the  necessity  of 
purchasing  a  sideboard,  and  so  buy  a  highly  polished 
cheap  piece  of  furniture,  which  gives  a  crowded  look 
to  the  room. 

To  hang  china  cups  under  a  shelf  is  one  way  of  deco- 

37 


38      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

rating  a  dining-room.  Also  plates  placed  in  a  plate  rack 
on  the  wall  may  add  to  the  color  scheme  of  the  room. 
Be  very  careful  that  the  color  of  your  wall  blends  with 
the  color  of  the  china. 

If  china  is  kept  in  a  china-closet  hang  the  cups  under 
the  shelf  and  so  save  space. 

Radiator  Box. 

A  box  on  top  of  the  radiator  with  a  shelf  inside  is  very 
handy  and  need  not  be  an  ugly  object  in  the  room. 
This  box  is  useful  in  keeping  the  dishes  hot  during  a  meal 
or  heating  plates  before  a  meal. 

Tea-Table. 

Somewhere  in  the  dining-room  have  a  large  tea  tray 
or  tea  wagon.  Every  equipment  for  afternoon  tea  should 
be  so  convenient  that  tea  can  be  served  at  a  moment's 
notice.  This  custom  has  grown  to  be  an  expression  of 
hospitality,  and  unless  this  act  of  serving  tea  can  be 
performed  without  apparent  effort  it  is  no  compliment  to 
a  guest. 

Window  Seat. 

A  window  seat  in  the  dining-room,  made  of  pine, 
stained  and  waxed,  is  often  a  great  convenience.  Under 
this  seat  have  one  or  more  shelves ;  have  a  door  enclos- 
ing it  like  a  closet ;  hang  this  door  by  hinges  from  the  top 
or  the  bottom.  In  this  closet  you  can  keep  the  table 
linen  if  there  is  no  other  closet  provided  and  the  seat 
itself  will  take  the  place  of  at  least  one  chair  and  so 
give  more  space. 

Do  not  have  couches  with  cushions  or  stuffed  chairs  in 
this  room.  The  room  in  which  we  eat  must  be  sanitary, 
and  furniture  that  collects  dust  is  never  really  free  from 
the  possibility  of  germs. 


DINING-ROOM 


39 


Care  of  Dining-Room. 

Before  setting  the  table  for  breakfast  always  air  the 
dining-room.  Even  if  the  weather  is  very  cold,  open  the 
window  wide  for  a  few  minutes  and  change  the  air  of  the 
room.  If  the  weather  permits  keep  the  windows  open 
while  the  breakfast  is  being  cooked. 

Dust  the  dining-room  before  setting  the  table ;  dust  the 
table  with  a  clean,  damp  cloth. 

You  now  have  a  room  free  from  dust  and  filled  with 
fresh  air;  in  such  a  room  food  can  stand  uncovered  on 
the  table  without  danger  of  contamination. 

Setting  a  Table. 

In  preference  to  tablecloths  use  plain,  but  well-laun- 
dered, doilies  with  a  bare  table;  these  are  easily  washed 
and  ironed,  and  a  spot  on  one  does  not  mean  that  all  must 
be  washed. 

The  first  thing  to  set  on  the  table  is  a  centerpiece.  On 
this  you  will  have  flowers,  if  possible,  or  fruit  of  some 
kind.  Next  place  as  many  doilies  as  there  are  to  be 
persons  at  the  table ;  set  these  at  even  distances  apart  and 
about  one  half  inch  from  the  edge  of  the  table. 


40      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Knives  and  spoons  are  placed  at  the  right,  the  sharp 
edge  of  the  knife  toward  the  plate. 

Forks  and  napkins  at  the  left.  Be  careful  that  all 
knives,  forks  and  spoons  are  at  least  one  inch  from 
the  edge  of  the  table. 

Glasses  at  the  top  of  the  knives,  three  quarters  full  of 
water,  and  filled  at  the  last  moment.  Salt  and  pepper 
on  the  table  at  every  meal. 

Place  the  chairs  at  the  table  the  last  thing. 

This  is  the  general  plan  of  table  setting.  The  ar- 
rangement thus  far  is  the  same  for  all  meals.  The  ad- 
dition of  the  proper  articles  for  eating  the  different  foods 
varies  with  the  different  meals. 

Any  one  who  can  set  a  table  properly  has  done  a 
good  piece  of  work.  It  means  training  the  eye  to  see 
with  exactness,  so  that  the  least  unevenness  in  the  placing 
of  any  object  will  be  noticed  immediately,  as  well  as 
the  training  of  the  memory  to  remember  everything  that 
should  be  on  the  table. 

The  order  of  the  dining-room,  apart  from  the  table, 
must  be  carefully  noticed.  Every  door  and  drawer  should 
be  tightly  closed.  If  the  meal  is  breakfast  and  the 
morning  paper  is  delivered  it  should  be  placed  neatly  on 
a  chair.  No  clothing  about,  or  articles  not  pertaining 
to  eating. 

Breakfast  Table. 

A  good  breakfast  for  a  family  where  there  are  chil- 
dren is  fruit,  coffee  for  the  father  and  mother,  milk  or 
cocoa  for  the  children,  cereal  with  milk  and  sugar,  toast 
and  butter  for  all.  If  you  use  this  as  a  practice  break- 
fast, and  take  it  for  granted  that  there  is  no  servant 
to  wait,  you  must  have  everything  needed  on  the  table, 
excepting  the  hot  food  (coffee,  hot  milk,  cereal,  toast). 


DINING-ROOM  41 

In  addition  to  the  general  plan  there  will  be  needed 
on  this  breakfast  table:  fruit  plates,  butter  plates  and 
butter  knives,  extra  glasses  for  milk,  coffee  cups,  two 
spoons  at  each  plate,  bread,  butter,  sugar,  pitcher  of 
milk,  pitcher  of  water.  When  the  fruit  plates  are  taken 
off,  a  plate  with  a  cereal  dish  on  it  should  be  placed  before 
each  person. 

Dinner  Table. 

In  preparing  the  table  for  dinner  follow  the  general 
table-setting  plan.  Place  as  many  forks,  knives  and 
spoons  by  the  side  of  each  plate  as  will  be  required 
during  the  meal.  Place  on  the  table  (if  the  meal  is 
to  be  served  by  the  family)  all  food,  except  hot  dishes. 
On  a  near-by  side  table  have  any  extra  plates  or  pre- 
pared cold  dishes  that  will  be  needed  after  the  first  course. 
Have  space  on  this  side  table  for  hot  dishes.  A  shelf 
under  the  serving  table  on  which  to  place  soiled  or  emp- 
tied dishes,  and  castors  to  enable  you  to  move  the  serv- 
ing table  from  place  to  place,  will  be  found  a  great  con- 
venience. 

Before  considering  the  dinner  table  as  finished,  go 
over  in  your  mind  each  article  of  food  to  be  served  and 
see  if  everything  needed  for  that  food  is  on  the  dinner 
table  or  the  serving  table;  take  notice  whether  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  table  is  attractive,  and  whether  you 
have  left  space  on  the  serving  table  to  be  filled  later  by 
the  hot  dishes. 

If  one  member  of  the  family  rises  and  serves  the 
others,  she  should  pass  all  dishes  (from  which  one  helps 
oneself)  on  the  left  hand  side,  holding  the  dish  low  for 
the  convenience  .of  the  person  served ;  hold  a  napkin  in 
the  hand  under  the  dish.  Go  on  the  right  side  if  you 
are  placing  a  plate  on  the  table  or  taking  a  used  plate  from 


42      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

the   table.     In  the  absence  of  a  servant  pass  as  many 
dishes  as  possible'  without  rising. 

If  the  serving  table  is  on  castors,  or  if  there  is  a  re- 
movable tray  the  size  of  the  serving  table,  all  hot  dishes, 
for  each  course,  can  be  brought  in  at  one  time;  thus 
steps  are  saved  and  the  social  side  of  the  meal  is  less  dis- 
turbed. 

Luncheon  and  Supper  Table. 

The  table  at  these  meals  differs  little  from  a  breakfast 
table.  After  the  general  table-setting  plan,  add  such  ar- 
ticles as  will  be  needed  during  the  meal.  Just  before  serv- 
ing dessert  at  any  meal,  remove  all  used  dishes  from  the 
table  and  all  articles  that  will  not  be  needed  for  the 
dessert;  brush  the  crumbs  from  the  table  with  a  clean 
napkin  on  to  a  plate.  See  that  all  glasses  are  refilled,  and 
then  bring  in  the  dessert  plates  and  the  dessert. 

Servants. 

Many  people  have  a  paid  employee  or  servant  to  do 
much  or  all  of  the  housework.  Some  have  one  and  some 
many  of  such  employees.  That  does  not  mean  that 
the  work  connected  with  homes  are  tasks  for  which  any 
woman  is  too  fine  and  so  hires  a  person  to  do  the  work 
for  her.  It  means  (or  should  mean)  that  in  many  homes 
there  are  too  many  things  for  one  woman  to  dq,  espe- 
cially in  homes  where  children  are  to  be  cared  for.  If 
the  mother  has  money  enough  she  hires  some  one  to 
come  in  and  do  a  part  of  the  housework  in  order  that 
she  may  be  free  to  do  more  thoroughly  such  duties  as  she 
feels  are  her  especial  responsibility.  It  does  not  mean 
that  one  woman  pays  another  woman  to  do  her  work  so 
that  she  may  be  idle. 

A  well-run  office  or  factory  or  store  carries  on  its 


DINING-ROOM  43 

business  in  the  same  way.  One  man  cannot  keep  the 
books,  run  the  errands,  sell  the  goods,  and  attend  the 
telephone ;  so  the  manager  divides  up  the  work  between 
himself  and  those  whom  he  hires  to  help  him.  A  man 
does  not  look  down  upon  these  associates  in  business ;  he 
knows  that  they  are  exactly  as  good  as  he  is  and  their 
work,  like  his,  a  necessary  part  of  the  whole  business. 

A  man  who  stands  at  the  head  of  a  business  and  di- 
rects others  is  perfectly  fitted  for  his  work  only  if  he 
knows  by  practical  experience  every  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness. For  this  reason  men  who  aim  to  be  directors  start 
at  the  bottom  and  work  up.  A  homemaker  must,  in  the 
same  way,  have  had  her  experience  in  every  branch  of 
housekeeping  before  she  can  consider  herself  an  efficient 
person  to  direct  servants. 

A  servant  is  less  protected  by  law  than  any  other 
business  woman.  Thirty-nine  states  have  laws  limiting 
the  working  hours  of  women  in  factories  and  stores. 
In  only  nineteen  are  women  workers  in  hotels  and  res- 
taurants included ;  in  only  five  are  public  institution  serv- 
ants protected ;  and  in  no  State  are  the  servants  in  our 
homes  protected  by  law.  They  are  obliged  to  work  as 
many  hours  as  the  head  of  the  house  directs,  or  give  up 
the  place. 

There  is  a  great  work  for  every  woman  and  every 
girl  to  do  in  uplifting  the  profession  of  the  house  work- 
ers or  servants.  In  the  first  place,  have  as  exact  a  rule 
about  the  hours  of  work  and  the  hours  of  freedom  from 
work,  as  is  the  case  with  factory  or  office  labor.  This 
regulation  of  time  will  at  once  put  the  profession  on  a 
business  basis.  Do  not  ask  any  woman  to  perform  for 
you  any  labor  that  hurts  her  dignity  or  any  act  that  each 
individual  should  do  for  herself.  Never  address  a  serv- 
ant with  anger  or  as  if  she  belonged  to  you.  Show  all 


44      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

employees  -the  same  courtesy  you  expect  from  them. 
Remember  that  you  make  them  just  as  angry  as  they 
make  you ;  you  probably  seem  unreasonable  and  at  times 
stupid.  A  competent  servant  has  her  own  way  of  doing 
things.  She  will  do  better  work  as  you  give  her  more 
freedom  in  her  tasks.  Never  forget  that  one  woman 
gets  tired  as  surely  as  another,  and  one  woman  wants 
happiness  as  surely  as  another,  and  all  people  get  lonely 
at  times.  If  you  take  a  human  being  into  your  home  as  a 
servant,  only  eight  hours  of  her  time  should  belong  to 
you.  Beyond  this  her  time  is  her  own  to  use  as  she 
desires. 

Expert  Table  Work. 

An  expert  in  any  kind  of  work  will  be  careful  of 
details.     In  table  work  the  skilled  laborer  will  be  : 

Always  clean  and  neatly  dressed;  being  particular 

about  finger  nails  and  hair. 
Will  step  lightly  and  quickly. 
Will  close  a  door  without  noise. 
Will  never  rattle  dishes  or  make  any  sound  with  the 

silver. 
Will  never  let   her   dress  touch  the  dishes  on  the 

table. 

Will  be  pleasant  about  her  work.     A  skilled  laborer  is 
not  cross  as  he  works. 

Dining-Room  Rules. 

1.  The  dining-room  must  be  in  perfect  order  before 

any  meal  is  served. 

2.  Have  hot  dishes  for  hot  food,  cold  dishes  for  cold 

food. 

3.  Glasses  should  not  be  filled  until  just  before  a  meal 

is  served. 


DINING-ROOM  45 

4.  Butter  must  not  be  placed  on  the  table  until  the  meal 

is  ready. 

5.  Bread  must  be  freshly  cut. 

6.  Everything  placed  before  a  person  is  placed  at  the 

right. 

All  dishes  from  which  a  person  serves  himself  are 
passed  at  the  left. 

7.  Everything  relating  to  one  course  must  be  removed 

before  serving  another. 

8.  A  meal  is  not  ready  for  the  family  until  everything 

is  in  readiness  in  the  dining-room  and  the  kitchen 
is  in  order;  all  pots  and  pans  soaking,  and  a 
space  cleared  for  the  soiled  dishes  as  they  are 
removed  from  the  dining-room  after  using. 

9.  In  clearing  the  table  food  must  be  removed  first,  then 

soiled  china,  glass  and  silver.  Brush  off  the 
crumbs  from  the  table  and  wipe  the  table  with 
cloth  slightly  damp. 

Put  away  very  carefully  the  doilies  that  are  not 
soiled. 

If  there  is  any  stain  on  a  doiley  take  it  out  at  once 
(see  stains  page  99). 

Put  doilies  that  require  laundering  in  the  clothes- 
basket. 

Silver. 

The  cleaning  of  silver  is  a  part  of  dining-room  work. 

To   Clean  Silver. 

Collect  newspaper,  old  tray,  silver  polish,  saucer,  alco- 
hol or  water,  duster  and  two  pieces  of  old  cloth. 

Method. 

Dust  the  silver. 


46      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Mix  some  silver  polish  and  alcohol  in  a  saucer.  Rub 
this  on  each  piece  of  silver  and  lay  each  aside  on  a  piece 
of  newspaper  to  dry.  When  thoroughly  dry,  polish  of! 
with  another  cloth.  A  soft  brush  is  necessary  to  re- 
move the  polish  from  grooves  or  designs. 

Wash  the  silver  in  hot  water  before  returning  it  to 
the  drawer. 

Table  Etiquette. 

The  attitude  of  one  member  of  a  family  at  a  meal 
can  make  or  spoil  that  meal  for  the  entire  family. 

Each  member  of  the  family  should  cultivate  a  habit 
of  appreciation ;  that  is,  don't  be  fault  finding  but  take 
the  food  that  is  on  the  table  and  eat  it  with  apparent 
pleasure.  There  are  girls  and  boys  who  always  come 
to  the  table  in  a  faultfinding  mood,  they  seem  to  take 
pleasure  in  saying  that  they  "  hate  "  this  or  that  dish, 
forgetting  that  some  one  has  worked  hard  to  prepare  it. 
A  bad  temper  or  an  unhappy  mood  while  eating  is  not 
good  for  the  stomach  and  often  produces  indigestion. 
Talking  pleasantly  and  eating  slowly  while  at  meals 
aids  digestion. 

When  a  meal  is  ready,  go  at  once  to  the  table.  If 
late,  the  food  gets  cold  and  you  have  spoiled  the  pleasure 
of  the  cook,  as  well  as  annoyed  the  family,  and  ruined 
the  taste  of  your  own  meal.  A  meal  is  a  family  gathering. 
No  one  must  think  of  herself  alone,  but  of  what  will 
give  the  entire  group  the  most  pleasure.  We  should 
not  be  over-anxious  as  to  what  is  on  our  plate.  Let  us 
keep  our  eyes  open.  Notice  when  some  one  wants  his 
plate  replenished  or  his  water  glass  refilled,  or  is  in 
need  of  butter,  salt,  pepper,  etc.  A  little  girl  should 
never  allow  her  mother  to  wait  on  her ;  she  is  the  one  to 


DINING-ROOM  47 

rise  when  necessary  and  wait  on  those  older  than  her- 
self. 

"  See  to  it  that  a  certain  ceremony,  a  certain  importance, 
be  attached  to  the  partaking  of  food." 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  IV 
LIVING-ROOM 

An  English  architect  describes  the  living-room  as  "  a 
room  with  space  enough  to  carry  on  the  business  of  life 
freely  and  with  pleasure,  and  with  furniture  made  for 
use."  Another  describes  the  living-room  as  a  room  that 
grows  until  it  expresses  the  individual  tastes  of  each 
member  of  the  family. 

"  I  give  a  loving  glance  as  I  go 
To  three  brass  pots  on  a  shelf  in  a  row 
To  my  Grandfather's  grandfather's  loving  cup 
And  a  bandy-leg  chair  I  once  picked  up 
And  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  make  you  see 
Why  just  these  things  are  a  part  of  me." 

This  does  not  sound  like  the  old-fashioned  back  and 
front  parlor  used  only  on  state  occasions,  with  the 
shades  drawn  to  save  the  carpet  from  fading.  Because 
such  a  parlor  was  not  a  room  to  live  in,  it  has  ceased 
to  be  needed  in  the  homes  of  to-day. 

The  right  kind  of  a  living-room  will  suggest  to  you  at 
once  what  occupations  the  family  are  engaged  in.  Do 
they  read  good  books?  If  so,  the  book  shelves  and  the 
library  table  will  tell  you  so.  There  will  be  lights  low 
enough  to  read  by,  and  these  will  be  placed  near  the 
comfortable  chairs.  Is  the  family  musical?  You  will 
be  able  to  tell  this  not  only  by  a  piano  or  other  musical 
instrument,  but  by  the  sheets  of  music  which  you  will  find 
in  the  music  rack.  They  will  be  the  compositions  of  real 

48 


LIVING-ROOM 


49 


musicians  and  jolly  refined  tunes,  not  the  cheap,  vulgar 
songs  of  the  day.  Are  there  stay-at-home,  domestic 
members  in  the  family?  If  so,  the  work  basket  will  have 
a  place  in  the  living-room,  and  there  will  be  a  good  light 
on  the  table  to  sew  by. 

Desk. 

In  this  living-room  there  must  be  a  desk  for  writing. 
If  you  want  an  inexpensive  desk  buy  a  kitchen  table  for 
about  $2.40,  with  a  drawer  and  with  square,  not  turned, 
legs.  Make  an  alcohol  stain  the  color  you  require.  Stain 
the  entire  table  and  after  it  is  thoroughly  dry,  rub  off  any 
powder  that  may  be  left  on  the  surface  of  the  desk  with 
a  soft  cloth,  and  then  wax  every  part  with  a  good  floor 
wax  or  common  beeswax. 


HI     Ml    i 


Rack  for  Writing  Desk 

For  the  back  of  the  desk  make  a  rack  like  the  picture 
to  hold  bills,  papers,  etc.  (Any  carpenter  can  make  this 
rack,  or  a  smart  boy  can  make  it). 

Have  a  glass  or  brass  tray  to  hold  pens  and  pencils,  a 
glass  inkwell  and  a  large  blotter.  Glass  fittings  for  the 
desk  save  time  as  they  need  only  to  be  washed,  and  not 


50      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

polished.  The  blotter  should  be  of  a  color  that  blends 
with  the  room,  and  there  always  should  be  small  blotters 
near  at  hand  so  as  to  keep  the  large  blotter  fresh  and 
clean. 

Library  Table. 

There  should  be  a  large  table  in  the  living-room,  but 
it  is  well  to  remember  that  this  table  is  for  use.  Have 
one  made  of  good  wood,  oiled  or  waxed  rather  than  pol- 
ished, because  a  polished  table  soon  becomes  marred.  A 
table  cloth  on  this  table  catches  the  dust  and  makes  extra 
labor  for  the  housekeeper.  Therefore,  an  uncovered 
table  is  to  be  preferred;  or  a  table  covered  with  chintz 
which  has  over  it  a  glass  surface.  The  chintz  adds  color 
to  the  room  and  the  glass  is  easily  washed. 

Tea  Table. 

Afternoon  tea  is  often  served  in  the  living-room,  and 
as  it  is  inconvenient  to  clear  away  the  books,  work  basket, 
etc.  from  the  large  table,  a  small  folding  table  should  be 
on  hand  to  be  brought  out  at  tea  time.  The  tea  tray, 
with  every  furnishing  for  tea  on  it,  will  be  prepared  in  the 
kitchen  and  brought  into  the  living-room  and  placed  on 
this  small  table. 

Fireplace. 

If  there  is  but  one  fireplace  in  the  house  have  it  in  the 
living-room,  then  build  your  room  around  it ;  that  is,  think 
of  the  open  fire  as  the  center  and  have  chairs,  couch,  and 
table  all  placed  in  relation  to  it. 

Pictures. 

If  you  have  just  a  few  good  pictures  hang  these  in  the 
living-room,  as  the  room  suggests  more  leisure  to  look 
at  pictures  than  any  other  room  in  the  house. 


LIVING-ROOM  51 

Care  of  Living  Room. 

The  daily  and  weekly  cleaning  of  this  room  does  not 
differ  from  the  sweeping  and  dusting  of  dining-room  or 
bedroom. 

Books. 

Books  are  hard  to  keep  clean  if  not  kept  behind  glass 
doors.  In  dusting  books  never  use  duster  dampened  with 
water.  If  leather  bindings  of  books  are  wiped  with  a 
cloth  slightly  dampened  with  castor  oil  once  a  year  they 
will  be  much  longer  preserved. 

Desk. 

Every  day  dust  the  desk.  Throw  away  blotters  when 
used  up.  Refill  inkwell  when  necessary.  Be  careful 
of  letters  and  papers  belonging  to  other  people.  Never 
read  one  word  of  the  papers  and  letters  on  other  people's 
desks.  Leave  all  papers  in  neat  piles. 

Lamps. 

In  a  living-room  or  library  that  has  no  electric  lights, 
a  kerosene  lamp  is  almost  a  necessity  for  reading.  Some 
homes,  especially  in  the  country,  are  absolutely  dependent 
upon  kerosene  and  candles.  Therefore  it  is  well  for 
every  girl  to  know  about  the  care  of  lamps  whether  she 
uses  them  at  the  present  time  or  not. 

Daily  Cleaning  of  Lamps. 

Two  lamp  cloths,  hot  water,  and  a  duster  are  needed. 

First  dust  the  chimney,  shade,  and  body  of  the  lamp. 
Wash  the  chimney  as  you  would  any  other  glassware.  If 
sooty  clean  with  paper  before  washing.  Next,  turn 
the  wick  high  enough  to  show  all  the  charred  part.  Wipe 
this  off  with  tissue  paper  until  wick  is  perfectly  even. 


52      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

It  is  well  to  light  it  in  order  to  test  the  evenness.  Fill 
lamp,  and  then  with  lamp  cloth  wipe  off  any  oil  that  may 
be  on  the  outside.  Dry  with  second  cloth. 

A  bright  light  comes  from  clean  burners.  When  light- 
ing the  lamp  turn  the  wick  down,  allowing  the  chimney 
to  become  heated  slowly.  Put  new  chimneys  in  cold 
water  and  allow  the  water  slowly  to  come  to  a  boil.  This 
will  prevent  a  new  chimney  from  cracking  with  the  heat 
when  the  lamp  is  first  lighted. 

In  putting  the  lamp  out,  blow  across  the  chimney  — 
never  into  it  —  as  this  might  send  the  flame  down  into 
the  kerosene. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  move  a  lighted  lamp,  first  turn  the 
wick  low.  The  flaring  up  of  the  flame  smokes  the  chim- 
ney. 

Thorough  Cleaning  of  Lamps. 

This  need  not  be  done  oftener  than  two  or  three  times  a 
year  if  lamps  have  daily  care. 

For  this  cleaning  take  a  tray,  a  newspaper,  a  duster, 
two  cloths,  a  dish  towel,  scissors,  soft  paper,  kerosene,  and 
a  pan  of  hot  soda  water. 

Cover  the  tray  with  newspaper.  Place  the  lamp  on 
the  tray  and  take  it  apart.  First  wash  the  chimney  and 
shade  in  hot  water  and  dry  with  a  towel;  polish,  using 
soft  paper  if  there  is  no  chamois. 

Boil  every  part  of  the  burner  in  the  hot  soda-water. 
Fill  the  reservoir  with  kerosene  within  an  inch  of  the 
top.  Trim,  but  never  wash,  the  wicks.  Put  new  ones  in 
if  the  old  wicks  smell  stale  with  oil.  Put  all  parts  of  the 
burner  and  lamp  together ;  wipe  every  part  clean,  seeing 
that  all  is  tight,  that  the  wick  is  even,  and  the  chimney  is 
clear. 

Put  the  cloths  to  soak.     Later  wash  and  boil  them. 


LIVING-ROOM  53 

Keep  an  old  pan  exclusively  for  cleaning  lamps,  for  the 
odor  of  the  kerosene  is  lasting  and  would  ruin  pans  for 
other  use. 

Remember  that  special  care  must  be  taken  when  kero- 
sene is  used.  A  drop  on  the  kitchen  table  or  the  hands 
may  spoil  a  ^hole  dinner. 


CHAPTER  V 
BEDROOMS 

The  living-room,  dining-room,  and  kitchen  in  your 
house  belong  to  all,  but  each  bedroom  is  the  expression  of 
only  one  or  two  people.  These  rooms,  therefore,  should 
be  as  individual  as  the  members  of  the  family,  each  room 
expressing  a  personality. 

Furnishing  the  Bedrooms. 

Do  not  have  plumbing  of  any  kind  in  the  rooms  that 
are  used  for  sleeping.  Confine  the  plumbing  to  the  bath- 
rooms, pantry,  kitchen,  and  laundry;  thus  the  piping  is 
concentrated  and  it  is  easier  to  keep  it.  in  order.  There  is 
also  less  danger  of  sewer  gas  in  the  house.  The  possibil- 
ity of  sewer  gas  in  a  sleeping  room  is  too  great  a  danger, 
and  for  this  reason  washstands  with  running  water  are  no 
longer  placed  in  bedrooms. 

No  Ornaments. 

A  bedroom  needs  no  ornaments  except  a  few  good  pic- 
tures, and  the  usual  bedroom  necessities  which  should  be 
beautiful  as  well  as  useful. 

No  Fancy  Beds. 

Queens  used  to  hold  receptions  in  bed.  For  this  reason 
lavishly  decorated  beds  came  into  existence,  but  now  beds 
are  used  only  to  sleep  in  at  night  and  but  three  things 
should  be  considered:  Is  the  bed  comfortable,  can  every 
part  of  it  be  washed  and  are  the  lines  good? 

54 


BEDROOMS  55 

Do  not  place  your  bed  in  the  corner  of  the  room  where 
there  is  no  circulation  of  air.  Corner  air  is  apt  to  be 
stale. 

Another  Don't. 

You  will  not  sleep  any  better  by  surrounding  your  bed 
with  a  handsome  set  of  furniture.  Buy  what  you  need 
in  the  way  of  a  bureau,  table,  chairs,  but  buy  each  piece 
separately  and  because  it  fits  the  room  and  your  special 
taste. 

If  an  adjoining  large  and  small  room  are  used  jointly 
for  a  bedroom  and  a  dressing  room,  it  is  sometimes  better 
to  use  the  small  room  to  sleep  in  and  the  large  one  as  a 
dressing  and  living-room.  The  bedroom  can  then  be  kept 
as  cold  as  a  sleeping  porch,  and  the  larger  warm  room 
used  to  dress  in. 

Beds. 

Have  iron  or  brass  beds.  Wooden  beds  are  hard  to 
keep  clean  and  attract  insects.  The  day  of  the  double 
bed  is  past,  because  single  beds  are  more  easily  made 
and  kept  clean,  and  it  is  healthier  and  more  comfortable 
for  each  person  to  have  a  bed  of  his  own. 

Trundle  Bed. 

A  trundle  bed  is  a  bed  which  can  be  pushed  under  an- 
other bed  in  the  daytime.  This  is  a  great  convenience  in 
crowded  quarters.  If  you  wish  to  have  a  trundle  bed, 
attach  four  short  legs  to  a  bed  spring,  and  it  is  made. 
Or  take  a  regular  couch  bed  and  have  the  legs  shortened. 

Mattresses. 

Hair  or  felt  mattresses  are  the  best,  but  are  the  most 
expensive.  Cotton  and  hair  mattresses  are  less  expensive 


56      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

and  very  comfortable.  Excelsior  mattresses  are  hard, 
but  cheap,  and  when  covered  by  a  cotton  pad  are  not  un- 
comfortable. Feather  mattresses  are  unsanitary,  they 
over-heat  the  body,  and  the  body  cannot  lie  in  a  flat, 
healthy  position. 

Screen. 

A  screen  is  necessary  in  the  bedroom  for  privacy,  if 
more  than  one  person  occupies  the  room.  This  may  be 
made  of  a  clothes-horse  hung  with  burlap  or  cretonne  or 
any  wash  material.  Paint  the  screen  white  or  any  color 
that  blends  with  the  room.  Use  brass  tacks  in  the  top  of 
the  screen  as  knobs;  on  these  hang  the  curtain  by  brass 
rings  sewed  to  it.  This  curtain  is  easy  to  take  off  and 
clean  and  is  better  than  a  gathered  curtain  tacked  fast. 

Bureaus. 

See  that  all  bureaus  have  drawers  that  open  and  shut 
easily;  that  the  handles  are  wooden  or  heavy  brass,  not 
light,  cheap  brass  handles ;  that  there  is  a  mirror  over  the 
bureau;  and  that  the  lines  of  the  bureau  are  simple  and 
the  finish  dull.  A  high  polish  is  used  only  on  very  cheap 
or  very  expensive  furniture.  It  is  poor  taste  to  imitate 
the  latter.  The  high  polish  can  be  removed  from  a  cheap 
bureau  and  the  bureau  waxed.  If  light  handles  are 
changed  for  plain,  heavy  brass  ones,  the  whole  bureau 
will  have  a  more  pleasing  appearance. 

Closets. 

If  closets  are  not  built  in  the  house,  a  place  must  be 
made  in  which  to  hang  clothes. 

Have  a  shelf  in  each  bedroom.  On  this  shelf  tack  a 
curtain.  A  clothes-tree  in  the  room  for  wrapper,  night 
gown,  or  any  article  just  taken  off,  will  keep  one  from 


BEDROOMS  57 

throwing  clothes  on  chairs.  A  window-seat  with  a  closet 
underneath  is  a  convenience  in  a  bedroom  for  boots  and 
shoes. 

Child's  Room. 

Do  not  furnish  the  children's  room  with  any  old  pieces 
of  furniture  or  ugly  rugs,  taking  it  for  granted  that  a 
child  is  too  young  to  care.  The  children's  room  should  be 
a  means  of  education,  development,  and  pleasure  to  the 
child.  There  is  an  educational  advantage  in  the  color- 
ing of  the  room  if  this  coloring  is  beautiful  and  the 
colors  well  combined ;  in  the  lines  of  the  furniture,  if  they 
are  simple;  and  in  the  pictures  on  the  wall  if  they  are 
worth  looking  at  and  are  the  kind  of  pictures  that  a  child 
can  understand.  These  pictures  should  be  hung  low  so 
that  the  child  can  see  them  easily.  The  shelf  for  books 
should  be  low  enough  for  the  child  to  reach  the  books. 
This  should  be  true,  also,  of  the  shelf  or  box  for  toys. 

Have  nothing  in  the  room  that  is  very  valuable,  because 
a  child  is  not  capable  of  knowing  the  value  of  things,  or  of 
being  responsible  for  things  that  he  can  handle.  We  all 
know  this,  and  yet  we  scold  a  young  child  if  he  breaks 
what  we  prize. 

If  the  child's  bedroom  is  to  give  pleasure  to  the  child, 
the  pictures,  wall  paper,  curtains,  bed  covering  —  all  must 
be  of  the  kind  that  will  interest  a  child.  If  the  room  is  to 
be  to  the  child  his  very  own,  he  must  be  allowed  to 
"  muss  it  up  "  at  times,  because  that  is  his  nature  and 
his  baby  way  of  expressing  his  energy.  He  can  be 
taught  to  put  away  his  own  toys  after  he  has  finished 
playing  with  them. 

Nursery  pictures  can  be  pasted  on  the  wall  and  washed 
over  with  white  liquid  shellac :  then  they  may  be  washed 
with  the  walls,  if  the  walls  are  painted. 


58      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Guest  Bedroom. 

A  guest  room  must  suggest  welcome.  It  must  not  only 
be  comfortable  but  must  show  that  the  homemaker  has 
given  her  own  thought  to  it  and  not  left  it  entirely  to  serv- 
ants. 

In  every  guest  room  have  a  basket  or  box  of  sewing  ma- 
terials, hairpins,  pins,  paper,  envelopes,  good  pens  and 
ink,  such  books  as  the  different  guests  would  be  likely  to 
want  to  read,  and  drinking  water.  At  night  a  few 
crackers  in  the  room  are  often  appreciated.  While  a 
member  of  the  family  will  always  feel  free  to  ask  for  any 
of  these  things,  a  guest  usually  would  rather  go  without 
than  trouble  the  hostess.  A  few  fresh  flowers  in  the  bed- 
room are  not  a  necessity,  but  they  will  be  a  proof  to  a 
guest  that  she  is  welcome  to  the  home. 

Do  not  have  articles  about  the  guest  room  that  are 
distinctly  personal  to  the  family,  such  as  family  portraits 
on  the'bureau,  the  closet  half  filled  with  clothes,  the  desk 
cluttered  with  family  letters.  This  -will  make  a  guest  con- 
scious that  you  have  turned  someone  out  in  order  to  make 
room  for  her. 

Hospitality  is  more  often  a  characteristic  of  simple  peo- 
ple who  have  not  much  money  than  of  rich  people  who 
live  in  an  elaborate  way.  Hospitality  quite  often  de- 
creases rather  than  increases  as  people  become  what  we 
call  civilized,  although  civilization  means  to  grow  more 
refined  and  more  enlightened.  In  Tahiti,  in  the  Society 
Islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  the  natives  greet  a  stranger 
by  saying  "  lorana,"  which  means  "  Come  in  and  have 
something  to  eat."  In  Mexico,  long  ago,  a  stranger  who 
was  journeying  through  the  land  could  stop  at  any  house 
and  get  a  room  for  the  night  and  food.  On  the  table  in 
these  guest  rooms  it  was  the  custom  to  have  a  pile  of 
silver  known  as  "  guest  money."  From  this  the  stranger 


BEDROOMS  59 

took  what  he  needed  to  continue  his  journey  to  the  next 
stopping  place. 

Formality  is  not  politeness,  but  it  often  happens  as  a 
people  grow  rich  and  get  the  gloss  of  social  ways,  that 
they  mistake  forms  for  real  courtesies.  As  long  as  peo- 
ple live  simply  there  is  time  and  desire  to  entertain  guests. 
It  is  when  our  lives  get  crowded  and  confused  that  we  find 
it  hard  to  be  interrupted  by  our  friends. 

Bedroom  Work. 

Airing  the  Bed.  Every  morning  the  moment  you  are 
out  of  bed  take  all  the  bedding  off,  throw  it  over  chairs, 
raise  the  mattress  in  the  middle  so  that  the  air  can  reach 
it  on  all  sides,  open  the  windows  top  and  bottom,  and 
allow  all  bedding  to  air  for  at  least  half  an  hour.  In  the 
average  home  where  the  housework  is  done  by  the  home- 
maker  the  bed  airs  while  the  breakfast  is  being  prepared 
and  eaten. 

Daily  Work. 

This  is  the  work  that  someone  in  every  household  has 
to  do  every  day.  Not  only  does  the  bed  have  to  be  aired 
and  made,  but  the  bedroom  has  to  be  put  in  order  and  left 
free  from  dust  and  made  attractive. 

Just  as  surely  as  every  morning  you  wash  your  body, 
face,  and  hands,  comb  and  arrange  your  hair  and  your 
dress,  so  do  you  make  your  bedroom  fresh,  clean,  and 
attractive. 

These  daily  household  tasks  are  often  dull  and  monoto- 
nous, but  if  we  do  them  well  they  become  an  art  and  a 
means  to  an  end.  That  end  is  an  orderly  habit  of  mind 
with  which  to  gain  greater  control  over  the  larger  hap- 
penings of  life. 

A  mind  grows   orderly   in   sympathetic  surroundings. 


60      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

A  bedroom,  in  a  way,  represents  the  girl  or  woman  who 
occupies  it  and  cares  for  it.  If  it  has  an  atmosphere  of 
order  and  simplicity  and  repose,  it  is  beautiful  and  tells 
of  a  personality  that  dominates  worldly  things  and  is  not 
confused  by  them.  If  the  room  smells  of  sweet,  outdoor 
air,  we  know  it  is  the  habit  of  the  occupant  to  push  the 
hot  air  out  by  letting  in  fresh  air.  If  there  are  no  unnec- 
essary things  about,  we  know  at  once  that  the  girl  who 
sleeps  in  the  room  has  good  taste,  which  comes  largely 
through  education.  Every  one  has  seen  a  bedroom  so  full 
of  charm  that  she  longs  to  know  the  person  who  is 
responsible  for  it. 

Before  making  the  bed,  the  room  must  be  "  picked 
up  ";  that  is,  each  article  out  of  place  must  be  put  back 
into  its  own  place.  Soiled  clothing  must  be  put  into  the 
soiled  clothes  basket  or  barrel ;  coats,  dresses,  or  hats 
not  in  use  hung  up ;  books  put  back  in  the  bookcase. 

Bedroom  Closets. 

Never  hang  up  in  the  closet  any  article  of  clothing 
which  has  been  worn  without  first  shaking  and  airing  it. 
At  night,  when  the  window  is  open,  or  in  the  morning 
when  the  room  and  bed  are  aired,  always  open  the  door  of 
the  closet  and  let  the  cold  outdoor  air  blow  through  the 
clothes: 

Every  one  has  noticed  the  close  odor  that  sometimes 
comes  out  when  the  door  of  a  bedroom  closet  is  opened. 
This  odor  is  unnecessary  if  the  dust  is  brushed  out  of  our 
outer  garments  each  day,  the  clothes  shaken  and  aired 
before  hanging  in  the  closet,  and  the  closet  and  clothes 
aired  at  night. 

Bedmaking. 

The  following  is  the  usual  way  to  make  a  bed,  but 


BEDROOMS  61 

exact  methods  vary  with  different  teachers  and  different 
housekeepers. 

It  is  well  for  children  to  learn  these  tasks  exactly,  by 
one  rule.  Only  after  much  education  should  one  try  in- 
dividual methods. 

First.  Turn  the  mattress  from  end  to  end.  Be  sure 
the  mattress  is  the  other  side  up  from  what  it  was  the 
night  before  and  the  other  end  around.  Thus  the  mat- 
tress wears  longer  and  does  not  become  worn  down  in  one 
place. 

Second.  Place  a  pad  or  square  of  cotton  flannel  over 
the  mattress,  before  putting  on  the  lower  sheet.  This 
is  to  protect  the  mattress  and  make  the  bed  more  com- 
fortable. 

Third.  Put  lower  sheet  right  side  up,  broad  hem  at 
the  top,  tuck  in  first  at  top,  then  at  bottom,  stretching 
very  tight  before  tucking  in  the  sides.  Make  square  cor- 
ners. 

Fourth.  Have  second  sheet  wrong  side  up,  broad  hem 
at  the  top.  At  first,  tuck  in  only  at  bottom.  Be  sure 
that  both  sheets  have  middle  crease  exactly  in  the  middle 
of  the  bed. 

Fifth.  Put  the  blanket  on  the  bed  at  least  a  quarter  of 
a  yard  below  the  top  of  second  sheet,  and  turn  top  sheet 
over  blanket  to  keep  blanket  clean.  Now  tuck  in  the 
sides,  top  sheet  and  blanket  together.  Both  sheets  and 
blankets  should  be  tucked  in  with  square  corners,  and 
pulled  so  tight  that  there  is  no  crease  anywhere. 

Sixth.  The  spread  is  put  on  over  the  blanket,  also 
with  square  corners,  but  the  sides  of  the  spread  should 
not  be  tucked  in  but  allowed  to  hang,  in  order  to  hide  the 
sides  of  the  bed. 

Seventh.  The  way  a  pillow  is  put  on  a  bed  can  entirely 
spoil  the  looks  of  the  bed,  but  if  the  pillow  is  very  clean 


62      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

and  very  smooth  and  lies  very  square  on  the  bed  it  will 
add  to  its  beauty. 

Eighth.  When  a  comforter  is  used  it  is  better  to  roll 
the  comforter  and  put  it  at  the  foot  of  the  bed  than  to 
make  up  the  bed  with  the  comforter  under  the  spread, 
because  the  bed  must  be  kept  square  like  a  box,  and  this  is 
not  possible  when  made  up  with  a  puff.  . 

Cleaning  the  Bed. 

In  a  crowded  city,  especially  in  old  houses  and  in  apart- 
ment houses,  no  house  can  be  sure  of  always  being  kept 
free  from  bedbugs.  They  are  one  of  the  evils  of  con- 
gestion. They  appear  under  conditions  of  dirt  and  neg- 
lect, but  they  are  easily  transferred  from  dirty  homes  to 
clean  homes.  Thus  watchfulness  and  care  are  necessary 
even  on  the  part  of  a  perfect  housekeeper. 

If  bedbugs  get  into  a  bed,  first  clean  the  mattress  with 
a  carbolic  acid  solution  and  put  the  mattress  aside.  Wash 
the  bed  with  strong  soap  and  hot  water  and  dry  thor- 
oughly, and  then  wash  with  a  solution  of  carbolic  acid  or 
a  bedbug  preparation  which  can  be  bought  at  any  drug 
store.  Repeat  this  every  day  until  all  traces  of  bugs  are 
gone. 

'  Bedbugs  hide  chiefly  in  cracks,  in  the  castors  of  beds, 
and  in  the  tufting  of  the  mattress.  They  always  stay  in 
dark  places.  If  they  continue  after  the  bed  is  clean,  they 
are  usually  to  be  found  behind  the  base  board  or  wall 
paper. 

Preventive  Work. 

If  a  housekeeper,  even  in  a  tenement  house,  is  on  the 
watch  she  will  never  let  this  evil  get  the  better  of  her. 
As  a  preventive  against  bedbugs,  clean  well  once  a  month. 
Take  all  clothes  from  the  bed  and  shake  hard  in  the  air, 


BEDROOMS  63 

throwing  them   loosely  over   a   chair  near  the  window. 

Wipe  the  mattress  first  with  a  cloth  wrung  out  in 
water  and  Sulpho-Naphthol,  being  especially  careful  to 
wipe  in  the  tufted  places.  After  making  sure  that  the 
mattress  is  clean  from  all  dust,  put  near  a  window  to  air. 
Now  wipe  the  iron  part  of  the  bed  and  the  springs  of  the 
bed,  first  with  soap  and  water,  then  with  clear  kerosene. 
Be  sure  that  the  springs  are  perfectly  dry  before  making 
up  the  bed. 

If  one  moves  into  a  dirty  apartment  in  which  bedbugs 
are  in  the  woodwork  or  wall  paper,  have  all  wall  paper 
taken  off  and  the  walls  scrubbed  with  hot  water,  Gold 
Dust  or  strong  soap  and  Sulpho-Naphthol.  Pour  a  car- 
bolic acid  solution  behind  the  baseboards  and  wash 
the  closets  with  Sulpho-Naphthol,  Gold  Dust,  and  hot 
water. 

If,  after  this  thorough  scouring,  the  entire  place  is 
painted,  no  further  trouble  should  occur.  A  more  thor- 
ough cure  is  to  close  tight  all  doors  and  windows,  paste 
paper  over  cracks  that  let  in  air,  then  burn  candles  of  sul- 
phur or  corrosive  sublimate  in  this  empty  air-tight  room 
for  twenty-four  hours.  This  should  be  done  before  the 
painting  if  there  is  any  doubt  of  cleanliness. 

Sweeping. 

After  the  bed  is  made  each  morning  sweep  the  floor. 
In  sweeping  use  different  sides  and  corners  of  the  broom, 
so  that  the  broom  will  wear  evenly.  Hold  the  broom  near 
the  floor  and  sweep  with  short  strokes  so  that  the  dust 
will  not  fly  about. 

Before  sweeping  any  room  see  that  no  uncovered  food 
is  in  the  room,  or  anything  that  dust  would  injure. 
Sweep  out  the  corners  of  the  room  first  (a  small  brush 
for  this  is  best).  Sweep  toward  the  center  of  the  room. 


64      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Use  a  dust  pan  and  brush  to  gather  up  the  dirt  that  you 
have  swept  into  the  middle  of  the  room. 

If  you  have  a  coal  stove  it  is  better  to  burn  this  dust  at 
once  as  it  may  contain  disease  germs.  If  you  have  a  gas 
stove  put  the  dust  in  a  paper  and  send  it  out  with  the 
ashes. 

Brush  out  the  large  broom,  after  using,  with  the  small 
brush.  Wipe  the  dust  pan  with  a  cloth.  Wipe  off  the 
small  brush  with  the  same  cloth.  Shake  out  the  cloth  and 
put  it  at  one  side  to  be  washed. 

Dusting. 

In  dusting  use  cheesecloth  dusters  because  cheesecloth 
is  soft  and  takes  up  the  dust.  Never  use  a  feather  duster, 
as  it  only  scatters  the  dust.  With  a  dry  duster  wipe  off 
the  windows,  mirrors,  brass,  china,  and  books.  Then 
shake  the  dust  from  the  cloth  and  after  dampening  it  wipe 
all  articles  not  marred  by  dampness,  dusting  at  the  same 
time  the  shelf  or  table  on  which  they  stand. 

Woodwork  should  be  wiped  off  with  a  damp  cloth; 
this  includes  chairs,  tables,  desks,  and  any  wood  that  is 
painted,  varnished,  or  stained  but  not  polished.  For 
highly  polished  wood  use  an  oily  woolen  cloth,  as  a  cloth 
damp  with  water  leaves  streaks.  Boiled  linseed  oil,  with 
or  without  beeswax  mixed  with  it,  is  used  for  polishing. 

Weekly  Bedroom  Cleaning. 

As  in  the  kitchen,  so  in  all  rooms,  the  closets  must  be 
cleaned  first  if  they  are  to  be  cleaned  on  the  same  day  as 
the  room.  Once  a  month  is  often  enough  to  give  bedroom 
closets  a  thorough  cleaning. 

Thorough  Cleaning  of  Closets. 

When  you  clean  a  closet  thoroughly,  take  all  clothes 
from  the  closet,  giving  each  garment  an  extra  shake  as  it 


BEDROOMS  65 

is  taken  out.  Air  these  clothes  in  the  open  air,  if  pos- 
sible, while  the  closet  is  being  cleaned. 

Brush  all  loose  dust  and  dirt  from  the  walls  and  floor 
of  the  closet,  wipe  the  walls  with  a  damp  cloth  and  scrub 
the  floor,  being  careful  to  wipe  out  all  cracks  and  crevices. 
Dry  and  then  shut  the  door  tight  before  beginning  the 
cleaning  of  the  room. 

Besides  each  day  dusting  and  doing  the  regular  morn- 
ing work  in  a  bedroom,  it  is  necessary  once  a  week  to  give 
the  room  a  thorough  cleaning. 

Dust  all  movable  things,  including  small  pictures,  and 
put  them  in  another  room.  Take  curtains  down  if  pos- 
sible ;  if  not,  pin  them  up  away  from  the  floor.  Cover 
with  old  sheets  kept  for  the  purpose  any  stuffed  piece  of 
furniture  too  heavy  to  move  from  the  room.  Take  out 
any  rugs  that  may  be  on  the  floor,  and  then  sweep  the 
floor  with  windows  open. 

Brush  the  walls  with  a  covered  broom,  then  sweep 
again  'with  a  damp  cloth  on  the  broom. 

While  the  dust  is  settling,  wash  the  windows.  Wash 
the  mirrors  at  the  same  time  as  the  windows,  also  wash 
the  glass  of  all  pictures  which  have  not  been  removed 
from  the  room.  (For  washing  windows,  see  page 

34.) 

Next  clean  the  woodwork,  washing  the  painted  wood- 
work if  it  is  really  dirty,  and  wiping  it  with  clean  damp 
cloth  if  not. 

To  Wash  Painted  Woodwork. 

First.     Wipe  with  damp  cloth. 

Second.  Wash  with  white  soap  or  whiting  and  warm 
water. 

Third.     Wipe  off  soap  with  clear  cool  water. 

If  there  is  a  stained  or  waxed  floor,  oil  or  wax  it  the 


66   THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Last  thing  before  moving  the  small  pieces  of  furniture 
back  into  the  room. 

Do  not  forget  to  dust  the  gas  fixtures.  Never  try  to 
clean  them  with  polish.  Rubbing  the  gas  fixture  hard 
will  loosen  it. 

If  curtains  have  been  taken  down,  shake  them  well,  out 
of  doors  if  possible,  before  rehanging  them. 

To  Clean  Brass. 

All  brass  and  nickel  should  be  cleaned  before  returning 
it  to  the  room.  (Some  housekeepers  have  a  regular  day 
for  polishing  all  the  brass,  silver,  and  nickel  in  the  house, 
not  a  general  cleaning  day.) 

Dampness  tarnishes  brass  and  nickel. 
If  copper  is  too  tarnished  to  clean  with  brass  polish, 
first  boil  in  soda  and  water.     It  will  then  polish  easily. 

For  cleaning  brass  it  is  necessary  to  use  some  sub- 
stance to  remove  the  dirt,  tarnish,  and  corrosion,  and  also 
a  dry  polish  to  give  a  higher  luster.  First,  collect  the 
necessary  implements : 

A  newspaper  to  protect  the  table. 

An   old   tray  upon   which  to   set  the  article   to  be 

cleaned. 

Wet  polish,  or  brass  paste. 

Dry  powder  (whiting  or  silver  powder  is  good). 
A  cheesecloth  for  dusting. 

Three  pieces  of  cloth   (that  you  can  throw  away). 
A  polish  cloth  (tissue  paper,  or  newspaper,  may  be 

substituted  for  this  cloth). 

Never  use  good  cloths  of  any  kind  for  hard  clean- 
ing.    It  wears  them  full  of  holes. 

Dust  the  brass,  apply  wet  polish  with  an  old  piece  of 
cloth,  rubbing  very  hard.  This  cloth  becomes  very  dirty 
and  should  be  thrown  away. 


BEDROOMS  67 

Use  a  piece  of  match-stick  under  cloth  to  remove  dirt 
from  cracks  and  grooves. 

Wipe  off  the  wet  polish,  which  loosens  the  dirt  and  rub 
with  a  second  piece  of  cloth.  With  a  third,  apply  the  dry 
white  polish.  Rub  hard  with  polishing-cloth. 

Brass  will  keep  bright  twice  as  long  if  treated  with  a 
final  dry  white  polish. 

To  keep  brass  from  tarnishing  when  not  in  use,  wrap  in 
tissue  paper. 

To  Clean  Nickel. 

Wipe  off  nickel.  Mix  silver  polish  with  a  little  water 
or  alcohol.  Rub  this  on  each  piece  of  nickel.  When 
dry,  wipe  off  powder  and  polish  with  a  clean,  dry  cloth. 

After  the  bedroom  has  been  cleaned,  see  that  it  looks 
orderly.  A  room  may  be  clean  and  yet  not  attractive. 
The  shades  must  be  even,  the  chairs  straight,  plants 
watered,  and  all  dead  leaves  taken  off. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PLUMBING 

Odors. 

Odors  are  danger  signals.  A  bad  odor  means  "  Look 
out ;  there  is  trouble  somewhere." 

If  you  smell  gas,  look  at  once  for  the  leak.  Fumes 
of  gas  cause  death.  Do  not  look  for  the  leak  with  a  light. 

If  you  smell  that  dry,  disagreeable  odor  which  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  burning  of  agate  or  tinware,  you  should 
rush  to  fill  the  kettle  or  saucepan.  The  water  is  boiled 
away ;  the  smell  is  the  warning  which  comes  often  too 
late  to  save  the  kettle. 

Every  one  has  noticed  a  stale  smell  when  entering  a 
bedroom  where  the  windows  have  been  closed  all  night. 
This  is  a  warning  that  the  oxygen  in  the  air  has  been  ex- 
hausted and  only  poisoned  air  is  left.  Had  one  window 
been  open  at  the  top  and  bottom,  no  odor  would  have 
been  in  the  room.  Oxygen,  or  fresh  air,  has  no  odor. 

At  times  the  offensive  breath  of  a  friend  has  been 
noticeable.  There  are  days  when  one  is  conscious  that 
one's  own  breath  is  not  sweet.  This  is  nature's  danger 
signal.  The  breath  is  virtually  without  odor  in  health.  It 
is  often  the  neglect  of  the  ordinary  habits  of  a  person's 
life  that  produces  an  unhealthy  condition  of  which  the 
bad  breath  is  but  the  sign.  Eating  candy  between  meals, 
or  eating  too  fast  while  at  meals,  or  forgetting  to  drink 
water,  creates  indigestion.  A  coated  tongue,  a  bad  taste 

68 


PLUMBING  69 

in  the  mouth ;  these  can  be  hidden  from  others.  But  na- 
ture uses  still  another  method:  she  attacks  our  pride  in 
her  effort  to  make  us  obey  her  laws.  The  breath  that 
comes  from  a  disordered  stomach  no  one  can  hide  from 
others. 

Or,  possibly  the  trouble  is  that  the  waste  matter  from 
the  system  has  not  been  carried  off.  One's  obligation  to 
reach  school,  store,  or  office  at  a  certain  hour  is  put  ahead 
of  every  other  duty.  But  nature  rebels  when  her  rules 
are  broken.  The  waste  matter  of  the  body  is  poison  to 
the  system  and  the  system  must  be  cleansed  of  that  waste 
every  morning.  The  habit  of  neglecting  this  duty  causes 
constipation.  Constipation  is  first  a  clogged  system,  then 
a  poisoned  system. 

A  decaying  tooth  throws  out  an  odor  that  means  dis- 
ease. Brushing  the  teeth  night  and  morning,  and  a  visit 
to  the  dentist,  surely  as  often  as  once  a  year,  will  often 
prevent  decay;  and  without  decay  there  can  be  no  odor 
from  the  teeth. 

The  close  odor  that  is  sometimes  called  the  human  odor 
is  very  noticeable  in  crowded  places  like  trolley  cars  or 
a  great  city's  subway  in  the  rush  hours.  And  it  is  at 
times  associated  with  an  individual.  This  odor  is  like  a 
loud  voice  crying,  "  The  body  has  not  been  bathed  re- 
cently." '  The  clothes  have  not  been  changed  often 
enough,"  or  "  The  clothes  and  the  closet  in  which  the 
clothes  have  hung  have  not  been  aired."  If  human  be- 
ings lived  out  of  doors  instead  of  in  houses  the  air  would 
cleanse  the  body  from  much  of  the  impurity.  Without 
this  outdoor  life,  daily  thought  must  be  given  to  bathing 
the  body  and  airing  the  clothes. 

It  would  be  interesting,  while  on  this  subject,  for  pupils 
to  think  of  other  odors  that  are  signs  of  trouble  and  to 
give  the  remedy  for  each.  There  is  almost  always  a 


70      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

remedy.  In  the  case  of  the  smell  of  smoke,  immediate 
action  and  a  cool  head  are  what  is  needed.  Sewer  gas 
often  has  no  odor,  and  so  a  test  of  plumbing  is  made  with 
a  liquid  that  has  a  strong  smell  like  peppermint.  This 
peppermint  is  put  down  the  pipes,  and  if  there  is  a  leak 
the  peppermint  escapes  and  sends  its  odor  up  into  the 
house,  we  know  the  sewer  gas  is  escaping  too.  Under 
these  circumstances,  call  in  a  plumber  at  once. 

The  plumbing  in  our  homes  is  connected  with  the 
sewerage  system  of  the  city,  just  as  the  disposition  of 
all  the  individual  left-over  food  and  rubbish  in  each 
home  is  a  part  of  the  work  of  the  great  municipal  de- 
partment that  cares  for  the  street  and  city  waste. 

Municipal  Housekeeping. 

We  have  city  or  municipal  housekeeping  as  well  as  per- 
sonal housekeeping.  Just  as  the  work  in  a  large  hotel  is 
divided  into  departments,  the  cooks  being  responsible  for 
the  kitchen  work,  the  chambermaids  for  the  bedmaking 
and  the  cleanliness  of  the  rooms,  so  the  work  of  a  city  is 
divided  into  departments,  and  each  individual  in  each 
home  is  protected  by  the  laws  of  these  various  depart- 
ments. 

The  police  department  is  responsible  for  the  order  of 
the  city.  It  is  its  duty  to  see  that  no  man  is  disorderly  on 
the  street  or  in  any  way  interferes  with  the  rights  of  any 
other  man.  The  street  cleaning  department  is  held  re- 
sponsible for  the  cleanliness  of  the  streets.  The  work 
of  the  health  department  is  to  look  after  the  physical  con- 
dition of  the  city  so  that  the  people  will  not  get  sick ;  and 
should  a  case  of  contagions  sickness  occur,  to  prevent  its 
spread.  And  so  we  might  talk  of  the  department  of 
bridges,  public  charities,  department  of  correction,  city 
courts,  department  of  docks  and  ferries,  fire  department, 


PLUMBING  71 

bureau  of  highways,  park  department,  department  of  sew- 
ers and  water  supply.  These  are  all  branches  of  the  city's 
housekeeping,  and  the  people  of  each  city  are  taxed  to  pay 
the  expenses  of  these  departments.  You  would  find  it  an 
interesting  study  to  learn  for  what  each  of  these  depart- 
ments is  responsible.  It  is  our  money  that  pays  for  these 
city  employees,  and  it  is  our  business  to  see  that  these 
servants  do  their  "work  well. 

The  city  departments  that  have  to  do  with  the  plumbing 
in  our  homes  are  the  health  department  and  the  tene- 
•ment  house  or  building  department.  In  some  cities  all  of 
this  responsibility  is  thrown  on  the  health  department. 

PLUMBING 

Plumbing  is  anything  connected  with  piping — such  as 
sinks,  wash-tubs,  bath-tubs  and  water-closets. 

Laws  in  regard  to  the  construction  of  the  plumbing  are 
sometimes  state  laws,  and  sometimes  city  ordinances ;  but 
each  city's  health  department  must  see  that  the  piping  of 
its  houses  is  kept  in  good  condition  so  as  not  to  endanger 
the  health  of  any  citizen. 

It  is  the  duty  of  every  citizen  not  only  to  know  the  laws 
but  to  have  a  clear  idea  as  to  where  the  tenant's  responsi- 
bility lies  and  what  is  the  responsibility  of  the  owner  of 
the  house,  so  that  he  can  go  about  the  righting  of  wrongs 
intelligently. 

Some  of  the  best  plumbing  laws. 

"  There  shall  be  a  separate  water-closet  in  a  separate 
compartment  located  within  each  apartment,  suite,  or 
group  of  rooms." 

"  There  shall  be  a  sink  or  wash-bowl  with  running 
water  in  each  apartment,  suite,  or  group  cf  rooms." 


72      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


"  In  every  tenement  house  all  plumbing  pipes  shall  be 
exposed."  That  is,  there  can  be  no  woodwork  or  even  a 
curtain  to  hide  the  pipes.  Each  woman  must  be  able  to 
clean  around  her  pipes  and  a  leak  can  be  noticed  and 
mended  at  once. 


PLUMBING  73 

"  The  floor,  or  other  surface,  beneath  and  around  the 
water-closet  and  sinks  shall  be  maintained  in  good  order 
and  repair,  and  if  of  wood  shall  be  kept  well  painted 
with  light-colored  paint."  Many  of  these  laws  were  made 
after  houses  were  built,  but  owners  of  old  houses  must 
take  away  the  old  woodwork  around  the  pipes  and  paint 
the  floor  a  light  color  on  which  dirt  can  be  seen  easily. 

These  laws  are  useless  unless  known  and  cooperated 
in  by  the  owner  of  the  house  and  by  every  tenant.  A 
complete  knowledge  of  household  plumbing  is  a  neces- 
sary part  of  homemaking  education.  Every  house- 
keeper should  understand  the  piping  in  her  house,  how 
the  water  and  waste  liquid  matter  are  carried  from  the 
house  to  the  sewer.  She  should  see  to  it  that  the  light  of 
day  shines  on  every  part  of  the  piping. 

A  trap,  or  water-seal,  is  a  U-shaped  bend  in  a  pipe.  It 
must  always  have  in  it  sufficient  clean  water  to  extend  an 
inch  or  more  above  the  bend.  This  water  is  called  the 
seal,  and  its  use  is  to  keep  the  sewer  gas  from  coming  into 
the  room.  All  water-closets,  sinks,  and  tubs  have  these 
water-seals. 

Buy  a  bent  glass  tube  at  any  drug-store.  Pour  into 
this  glass  tube  dirty  water  and  then  pour  in  clean  water, 
and  you  will  see  how  the  clean  water  forces  the  unclean 
water  down  and  forms  the  clean  seal  which  keeps  the 
odors  from  coming  up. 

The  stationary  equipment  connected  with  the  plumbing 
in  most  homes  is  the  water-closet,  bathtub,  wash-tubs  and 
kitchen  sinks,  and  some  times  stationary  wash-stands  in 
bedrooms.  We  speak  of  the  ice-box  in  connection  with 
plumbing,  for,  although  the  pipe  in  connection  with  the 
ice-box  is  not  always  built  into  the  house,  it  is  a  pipe  which 
must  be  cleaned  in  the  same  way  as  all  other  pipes,  and  it 
is  a  danger  to  health  if  not  kept  absolutely  clean. 


74      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Kitchen  Sink. 

First  consider  the  kitchen  sink  and  how  to  keep  it  clean, 
and  how  the  pipe  under  it  can  be  kept  free  from  grease. 
This  sink  has  the  U-shaped  pipe  underneath,  and,  as  has 
been  learned  from  the  reading  of  the  plumbing  laws,  there 
is  no  woodwork  inclosing  this  pipe.  In  a  dark,  damp 
place  vermin  collects,  while  in  a  light,  dry  place,  where 
there  is  open  plumbing,  there  is  not  this  danger.  The 
kitchen  sink  and  the  inside  of  the  pipe  connecting  the 
sink  with  the  sewer  are  kept  free  from  the  accumulations 
of  grease  by  the  use  of  soda.  Dishwater  is  apt  to  be 
greasy,  even  if  one  is  particular  in  the  scraping  of 
dishes.  Liquid  grease  chills  as  it  reaches  the  pipes  and 
clings  to  the  inside  of  the  pipes;  other  substances  stick 
to  these  greasy  sides ;  and  if  nothing  is  done  to  cut 
away  the  grease,  these  substances  rot  and  send  odors 
into  the  house.  The  next  thing  is  that  the  pipe  becomes 
clogged  and  the  water  will  not  pass  through.  To  correct 
this  is  not  the  plumber's  or  the  landlord's  business,  but  it 
is  the  duty  of  the  little  housekeeper,  or  the  grown-up 
housekeeper,  who  washes  the  dishes. 

To  Clear  Pipes  of  Grease. 

A  strong  hot  solution  of  washing  soda  will  dissolve 
grease  if  there  is  no  other  foreign  matter.  The  kitchen 
sink  should  be  washed  out  with  this  hot  solution  of  soda 
once  a  day  (as  we  learned  in  the  kitchen  work,  page  27). 

Further  Pipe  Cleaning. 

If  the  water  still  fails  to  flow  freely,  the  trouble  prob- 
ably is  that  a  match,  leaves,  pieces  of  food,  or  like  waste, 
has  reached  the  bend  or  water-seal  and  cannot  pass 
through.  Put  a  bucket  underneath  the  bend.  Unscrew 
the  nut  with  a  wrench,  which  every  housekeeper  should 


PLUMBING  75 

have.  The  water  collected  in  the  bend  will  at  once  rush 
out  bringing  with  it  grease,  tea  leaves,  coffee  grounds, 
etc.  This  may  cleanse  the  pipe;  if  not,  while  nut  is  off, 
pour  through  the  pipe  a  strong  solution  of  soda  and 
boiling  water.  A  steel  wire  closely  coiled  (called  a 
ferret)  can  be  bought  and  used.  Push  this  through  the 
pipe  if  still  not  clear. 

Water-Closet. 

Water-closets  should  be  well-lighted  and  well-venti- 
lated and  should  have  floors  that  wash.  Every  girl  study- 
ing this  chapter  should  know  by  heart  the  laws  of  her 
state  relating  to  water-closets. 

Every  one  using  a  toilet  should  feel  responsible  for  the 
condition  of  that  toilet.  Each  time  the  water-closet  is 
used  it  must  be  thoroughly  flushed,  at  least  three  or  four 
gallons  of  water  should  go  down  the  pipe.  The  water- 
closet  may  be  cleaned  thoroughly  every  morning,  but  in 
one  hour  it  can  become  an  unattractive,  unhealthy  place 
if  each  person  using  it  is  not  careful  to  flush  it  well,  leav- 
ing the  seat  dry  and  clean,  the  toilet-paper  neat,  and  no 
newspaper  about.  The  closet  in  every  house,  in  every 
public  hall,  or  in  every  public  school,  is  the  responsibility 
of  every  one  who  uses  it. 

To  Clean  Water-Closet. 

For  cleaning  water-closet  (which  should  be  done  at  least 
once  a  week)  you  will  need  a  long-handled  brush,  which  is 
used  only  for  the  toilet ;  a  cleaning  cloth  marked  "  T,"  so 
that  no  one  in  the  house  will  be  tempted  to  use  it  for  any 
other  purpose  ;  hot,  soapy  water,  and  a  kettleful  of  boiling 
hot  soda  solution. 

First  lift  the  open,  as  well  as  the  closed  cover;  then 
with  the  hot  soapsuds  and  the  long-handled  brush  wash 


;6    .  THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

every  part  of  the  bowl  and  all  the  hidden  cracks  and 
crevices.  Flush  thoroughly  so  that  at  least  two  or  three 
gallons  of  water  may  flow  into  the  pipes.  Now,  pour 
into  the  bowl  the  soda-solution,  allowing  it  to  run  down 
the  pipes  as  slowly  as  possible.  Flush  again  thoroughly, 
and  with  the  cloth  wipe  every  part  of  the  woodwork 
connected  with  the  seat.  Be  especially  careful  to  leave 
dry  the  hidden  crevices,  for  it  is  in  these  damp  hidden 
places  the  roaches  collect,  and  from  these  places,  if  left 
damp,  disagreeable  odors  come. 

This  thorough  cleaning  of  the  toilet  should  be  repeated 
at  least  once  a  week,  besides  the  daily  cleaning  with  the 
long-handled  brush. 

Wash-Tubs. 

Wash-tubs  are  to  be  used  only  for  washing  clothes 
not  for  storing  soiled  clothes.  It  is  very  hard  to  keep 
wash-tubs  absolutely  free  from  dampness;  and  allowing 
clothes  to  stay  in  a  damp,  air-tight  place  will  surely  cause 
them  to  become  moldy.  There  is  nothing  dirtier,  more 
unhealthy,  or  more  untidy  than  using  wash-tubs  as  store 
places. 

To  Clean  Wash-Tubs. 

After  using  the  tubs  to  wash  clothes  in,  wash  them  thor- 
oughly with  soap  and  water,  then  wipe  them  out  with  a 
clean  cloth.  Be  very  careful  to  dry  every  part  about  the 
hinges  of  the  cover  of  the  tubs  and  all  cracks  and  crevices. 
It  is  in  these  cracks  that  dampness  collects  and  that  cock- 
roaches breed.  After  the  tubs  have  been  washed  and 
dried  thoroughly,  do  not  use  them  again  until  you  are 
ready  to  wash  more  clothes. 


PLUMBING  77 

Bath-tubs. 

In  England  there  is  what  is  called  the  "  Order  of  the 
Bath.''  Back  in  the  fourteenth  century,  when  a  king 
wanted  to  honor  a  nobleman  he  treated  him  to  a  bath  as 
symbolic  of  regeneration ;  a  bath  was  rare  in  those  days, 
as  private  baths  were  found  only  in  palaces.  After 
this  honor,  the  Order  of  the  Bath  was  conferred  upon 
the  nobleman.  In  these  days  there  are  few  houses  that 
have  not  one  bathroom,  and  some  houses  have  as  many 
bathrooms  as  there  are  bedrooms. 

Furnishing.  Have  as  little  wood  about  your  bathroom 
as  possible.  Remember  that  wood  absorbs  odors.  If 
you  can  choose,  have  the  tub  some  distance  away  from 
the  wall.  It  is  easier  to  clean  behind  it.  Have  as  much 
white  as  possible  in  the  bathroom ;  it  suggests  cleanliness. 
If  the  room  is  papered,  shellac  the  paper  about  the  wash- 
stand  where  water  is  apt  to  spatter. 

Have  a  nickel  basket  for  soiled  towels;  a  wet  towel 
put  into  the  clothes  basket  will  itself  become  mildewed, 
and  will  mildew  the  other  clothes.  If  a  half  curtain 
(muslin)  at  the  window  is  necessary  for  protection,  have 
two  pair  of  such  curtains  so  that  when  one  is  being 
washed  a  clean  pair  can  be  put  up  at  once. 

The  furnishing  of  a  bathroom  must  be  most  carefully 
considered  because  of  its  connection  with  health.  It 
must  have  floor  and  walls  that  can  be  scrubbed. 

The  plumbing  must  be  open,  so  that  cleaning  under  the 
sink,  bath-tub  and  toilet  will  be  possible. 

There  should  be  as  few  things  in  a  bathroom  as  pos- 
sible. A  shelf  or  a  closet  for  medicines,  towel  rack,  a 
shelf  for  extra  clean  towels,  hooks  for  tooth  brushes,  a 
toilet-paper  rack  or  nail  (always  supplied  with  toilet- 
paper),  a  few  white  hooks  on  the  door  or  wall  on  which  to 


78      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT^ 

hang  a  wrapper  or  night-gown  while  bathing.  Glass 
shelves  and  glass  rollers  are  the  best  because  easily 
washed. 

Bath-Tubs. 

Scrub  out  the  bath-tub  with  soap  and  water  every  morn- 
ing (not  with  sand  soaps  as  these  will  scratch  the  tub). 
Insist  upon  it  that  each  member  of  the  family  after  bath- 
ing shall  wipe  out  the  bath-tub,  and  in  addition  the  tub 
must  be  thoroughly  scrubbed  by  the  housekeeper  as  a 
part  of  the  morning  work. 

A  tin  tub  can  be  brightened  with  Bon  Ami  powder. 
The  stains  on  a  porcelain  or  tin  tub  can  be  removed  with 
turpentine,  or  kerosene.  These  stains  come  from  soap, 
hard  water,  and  the  oil  from  our  bodies. 

Bath  tubs  should  be  cleaned  with  kerosene  at  least  once 
a  week,  and  after  that  thoroughly  scrubbed  with  soap  and 
hot  soda  water. 

Nickel  Faucets. 

If  the  nickel  fittings  in  the  sink  and  bath-tub  are  rubbed 
every  day  with  a  soft  dry  cloth  they  will  not  need  to  be 
cleaned  with  whitening  oftener  than  once  a  week.  Clean 
nickel  like  silver,  page  45. 


CHAPTER  VII 
USEFUL  FACTS  FOR  THE  HOMEMAKER 

Furnishing. 

Let  the  colors  of  the  different  rooms  blend.  Sharp 
contrasts  are  neither  pleasing  nor  artistic.  Plan  all 
rooms  at  the  same  time,  having  a  general  scheme  of  color, 
as-  one  room  is  often  seen  from  another. 

Get  unusual  rather  than  ordinary  and  commonplace 
furnishings.  This  always  shows  thought. 

Furnishing  cannot  be  done  in  a  day,  it  should  be  a  slow 
process.  Often  you  cannot  tell  what  to  buy  to  complete  a 
room  until  you  have  lived  in  the  room  for  a  time. 

Remember  that  the  people  in  the  house  are  judged  more 
or  less  by  the  house.  If  the  furniture  is  tawdry,  the 
ornaments  sham,  the  pictures  cheap  and  with  showy 
frames,  every  one  is  sure  to  think  that  there  is  some- 
thing a  little  vulgar  in  the  minds  of  the  people  living  in 
that  house.  Refinement  is  expressed  by  simplicity. 

Pictures. 

No  pictures  at  all  are  better  than  poor  ones.  There 
are  people  who  hang  a  picture  because  they  happen  to 
have  it,  irrespective  of  whether  or  not  it  gives  pleasure. 
Such  indifference  cheaoens  a  room.  A  picture  is  like  a 
book ;  often  you  like  it  at  first,  but  time  proves  that  it 
does  n't  continue  to  please.  If  so  take  it  down,  you  want 
your  room  to  express  your  taste. 

79 


8o      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Scrap  Baskets. 

Scrap  baskets  can  contribute  a  cer- 
tain beauty  to  the  room  in  line  and 
color.  This  does  not  mean  they  must 
be  expensive.  Often  market  baskets 
are  charming  in  line.  Don't  decorate  a 
scrap  basket  with  bows.  If  there  is  a 
carpenter  in  the  family  he  can  make  a 
scrap  basket  out  of  wood.  A  bottom 
and  four  sides,  with  eight  holes  bored  in  each  and  the 
sides  then  held  together  by  pieces  of  leather  fastened 
through  the  holes,  will  make  a  basket. 

Ornaments. 

There  are  few  ornaments  so  beautiful  that  they  add 
to  a  room  without  the  additional  virtue  of  being  useful  as 
well.  A  vase  has  its  place,  it  holds  flowers ;  candlesticks 
are  necessary  for  the  candles;  photograph  frames  only 
are  good  if  they  hold  photographs  you  care  for  —  the 
frame  is  to  show  the  photograph,  the  photograph  is  not  an 
excuse  to  show  off  the  frame. 

Pieces  of  copper  and  brass  need  not  be  useful  to  de- 
serve a  place  in  the  house.  They  add  to  a  room  by  the 
very  beauty  of  their  color.  This  is  true  of  anything 
where  the  color  and  line  is  beautiful.  But  be  sure  it 
has  this  value. 

Shelves. 

Have  all  the  shelves  you  can  use.  They  save  closet- 
room,  table  space,  and  floor  space.  They  make  it  much 
easier  to  be  orderly,  and  they  really  add  (if  put  up  with 
thought)  to  the  lines  of  a  room.  Any  one  of  the  family 
with  a  knack  for  carpentry  work  can  make  and  put  up 
shelves. 


FACTS  FOR  THE  HOMEMAKER  81 

Kitchen  Shelves. 

In  the  kitchen  have  a  shelf  under  which  you  can  hang 
brooms,  brushes,  dust  pan,  etc.,  and  on  this  shelf  put  jugs, 
jars,  small  brushes,  or  any  kitchen  utensils.  Also,  have  a 
shelf  for  pots  and  pans ;  one  for  stove  materials  near  the 
stove ;  and  one  near  the  sink  for  soap,  soda,  etc. 

Have  shelves  in  the  living-room  for  books ;  in  the  din- 
ing-room for  china ;  in  the  bedroom  for  clothes,  if  there 
is  no  closet.  No  one  can  be  orderly  unless  there  is 
enough  hanging-room  and  shelf -room  for  everything. 

Floors. 

What  to  do  with  the  floors  in  a  house  is  always  a  ques- 
tion. Carpets  cannot  be  kept  sanitary  unless  they  are 
cleaned  with  a  vacuum  cleaner,  and  few  have  this  lux- 
ury. This  is  true  of  rugs  when  they  are  too  large  to  be 
taken  into  the  yard  and  cleaned.  A  few  rugs,  small 
enough  to  shake  easily,  are  all  right  and  practical.  Many 
rugs  are  a  nuisance.  A  painted  floor  is  not  durable  un- 
less you  varnish  over  the  paint.  This  varnish  can  be  re- 
newed from  time  to  time  and  the  paint  kept  from  wearing 
off  in  spots.  Shellac  on  floors  is  serviceable  only  when 
covered  with  wax,  for  shellac  turns  white  if  washed  or 
even  wiped  with  a  damp  floor  cloth.  The  most  satis- 
factory floor  is  a  stained  floor  waxed  with  some  good 
floor  wax.  Linoleum  can  be  preserved  by  a  coating  of 
varnish. 

To  Stain  Floor. 

Only  natural  wood,  without  paint  or  varnish,  can  be 
stained.  The  wood  should  be  well  cleaned  and  thoroughly 
dried  before  staining.  Soda  and  hot  water  is  often  suf- 
ficient for  this  cleaning,  but  if  the  floor  has  been  painted 
remove  the  paint  with  lye  and  hot  water,  or  varnish  re- 


82   THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

mover;  do  not  let  the  lye  touch  clothing  or  hands.  For 
staining  floors,  any  one  of  many  floor  stains  may  be  used. 
Ask  for  an  oil  stain  without  varnish,  selecting  the  desired 
color.  One  quart  is  enough  to  stain  one  good-sized  room. 
Put  stain  on  with  large  brush.  Dry  for  twenty-four 
hours;  wipe  the  surface  off  with  dry  cloth,  then  wax 
with  common  floor  wax.  If  such  a  floor  is  waxed  once  a 
month,  it  should  last  a  year  without  restaining.  Once  a 
year  scrub  off  all  wax  and  stain  again. 

To  make  oil  stain  yourself  use  %  oil  to  %  turpentine, 
a  little  drier  and  dry  stain  of  the  desired  color. 

Walls. 

There  are  laws  regarding  walls  and  wall  paper.  Many 
cities  have  this  law. 

"  No  wall  paper  shall  be  placed  upon  a  wall  unless  all 
wall  paper  shall  be  first  removed  and  said  wall  thoroughly 
cleaned." 

Any  tenant  has  a  right  to  insist  upon  this  law  being 
kept  before  a  room  is  repapered. 

As  papered  walls  cannot  be  washed,  in  apartment 
houses  or  in  crowded  quarters  they  are  always  a  source 
of  danger.  If  there  are  germs  of  any  kind  resulting  from 
disease  or  dirt,  they  find  a  resting  place  on  wall  paper, 
and  paper  cannot  be  sterilized  because  it  cannot  be 
washed.  If  vermin  of  any  kind  get  into  a  house,  behind 
the  wall  paper  is  the  most  natural  place  for  them  to  hide, 
as  dampness  and  darkness  are  what  attract  them. 

Paint  is  a  safeguard  against  vermin.  Soap  is  a  disin- 
fectant. Painted  walls  can  be  washed  and,  therefore,  ab- 
solutely sterilized.  A  plain  coloring  is  a  better  back- 
ground for  furnishing  (especially  for  pictures)  than  a 
figured  paper. 

Kalsomine  or  Cold   Water   Paint  comes   in  beautiful 


FACTS  FOR  THE  HOMEMAKER  83 

colors,  and  it  is  so  easily  put  on  that  any  one  can  kalso- 
mine  a  wall.  This  kalsomine  cannot  be  washed,  but  it 
makes  an  inexpensive  wall  covering  and  can  be  put  on 
fresh  once  a  year  if  necessary.  Kalsomine  is  much 
cheaper  than  paint  but  less  durable. 

To  Paper  Walls. 

Make  a  thick  paste  of  two  pounds  of  fine  flour  and  cold 
water  stirred  together.  Add  to  this  about  one-fourth 
pound  of  glue.  Add  enough  boiling  water  to  make  the 
paste  the  consistency  of  cream.  Cool.  Wet  the  wall 
rather  than  the  paper  with  this  paste.  Use  large  flat 
brush  in  putting  on  paper.  Keep  some  wall  paper  on 
hand,  in  case  paper  on  wall  needs  patching. 

No  rule  regarding  the  color  of  walls  can  be  laid  down. 
It  is  all  a  matter  of  taste  and  education.  Different  na- 
tions have  different  ideas.  The  Italians  love  bright  colors. 
The  Japanese  and  Chinese  have  brought  to  us  wonderful 
combinations.  The  walls  of  a  room  should  be  thought  of 
as  the  framework  to  what  the  room  contains.  Nothing 
destroys  the  effect  of  a  room  so  much  as  a  staring  wall 
paper.  The  tint  of  the  ceiling  must  be  one  that  shades 
into  the  wall  paper,  not  one  that  contrasts  with  it. 

Window  Shades. 

'  Shades  are  seldom  beautiful  in  themselves.  They  are 
.simply  a  protection  against  persons  looking  in  and  as  a 
means  of  darkening  the  rooms.  Shades  are  apt  to  be- 
come discolored  and  torn  if  the  window  is  opened  from 
the  top.  Therefore,  there  is  some  advantage  in  having 
inside  shutters  or  curtains  instead  of  shades. 

If  curtains  are  used  as  protection,  they  should  be  made 
of  a  material  that  does  not  fade ;  for  example,  net,  pongee, 
linen,  blue  denim.  Hang  these  curtains  next  to  the  win- 


84   THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

dow  on  white  celluloid  rings  so  that  they  can  be  moved 
back  and  forth  easily  on  a  brass  rod. 
The  white  rings  wash  with  the  curtains, 
while  brass  rings  tarnish  with  damp- 
ness. Brass  clasps  to  hold  back  the 
curtains  when  the  window  is  open  will 
'keep  them  from  blowing  out  of  the 
window  or  into  a  gas-light. 

Inside  curtains  hung  for  decoration 
land  not  protection  should  be  very  thin, 
so   that   the   light   can   come   through ; 
short,  so  that  the  dust  from  the  floor 

cannot  reach  them ;  and  made  of  washable  material. 

Chairs. 

Have  chairs  where  you  naturally  want  to  sit  down,  by 
the  window,  in  front  of  the  fire,  by  the  table  where  the 
lamp  stands.  Don't  place  a  chair  just  because  you  think 
it  looks  well  in  a  certain  spot. 

Staining  Furniture. 

The  furniture  (when  bought  in  the  white)  can  be 
stained  with  alcohol  stain  and  waxed  with  floor  wax.  If 
the  furniture  is  varnished  and  one  wishes  to  stain  it,  re- 
move the  varnish  with  "  varnish-remover,"  then  wash  the 
wood  clean  with  benzine.  After  it  is  dry,  stain  with  alco- 
hol stain,  dry,  and  wax. 

Alcohol  stain  is  made  by  mixing  dry  Aniline  stain  with 
alcohol.  The  proportion  of  each  should  be  regulated  ac- 
cording to  the  shade  desired  —  if  the  color  is  too  dark,  add 
more  alcohol;  if  too  light,  add  more  stain.  Only  the 
Aniline  stains  dissolve  in  the  alcohol. 

Oiling  and  Waxing  Furniture. 

In  old  times  cabinet  makers  used  no  varnish  or  shellac. 


FACTS  FOR  THE  HOMEMAKER  85 

They  covered  the  wood  with  boiled  linseed  oil  and  bees- 
wax and  rubbed  it  with  a  soft  cloth  until  the  wood  was 
sufficiently  polished. 

Two  Receipts  for  Furniture  Polish. 

1 i )  Equal  parts  beeswax,  turpentine,  and  linseed  oil. 

(2)  y2  pint  turpentine, 
y2  pint  vinegar, 

l/2  pint  linseed  oil. 

Locks. 

When  locks  get  out  of  order  it  is  usually  from  lack  of 
use.  Any  one.  can  repair  a  stiff  lock.  Take  lock  off  with 
screw  driver,,  keep  screws  in  relation  to  right  holes.  Soak 
lock  and  lock  plate  in  kerosene  oil,  and  oil  all  parts  with 
oil  dropper.  If,  after  taking  the  lock  off,  you  find  the 
spring  broken,  take  it  to  a  locksmith.  (It  will  cost  only 
half  as  much  as  bringing  the  locksmith  to  your  house.) 
When  the  lock  is  oiled  and  mended,  put  it  back  yourself, 
using  screw  driver  and  same  screws. 

Loose  Door  Handles. 

This  is  due,  usually,  to  the  screw  holes  becoming  large 
and  the  screws  not  holding.  Get  screws  a  size  larger,  and 
the  trouble  usually  will  be  remedied. 

Never  have  cheap  brass  in  locks  or  catches.  If  you 
cannot  afford  good  brass,  have  iron  or  a  cheaper  material. 
Avoid  imitation. 

Receptacle  for  Soiled  Clothes. 

A  white  clothes  box  made  of  white  papier  mache  is 
sanitary,  easily  washed,  and  fits  in  the  corner. 

A  clothes  bag  is  awkward  hanging  on  the  wall,  and  is 
ugly  when  filled  with  soiled  clothes. 

A  clothes  basket  is  hard  to  wash,  and  the  odor  of  the 
clothes  gets  into  the  straw. 


86      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

A  good  receptacle  for  soiled  clothes  is  a  pickle  barrel, 
price  fifty  cents.  Holes  should  be  bored  in  the  sides  to 
admit  air,  and  a  barrel  top  may  be  purchased  at  any  hard- 
ware store.  This  kept  in  an  unused  corner,  serves  also  as 
a  seat,  and  is  less  bulky  than  a  straw  basket. 

To  Take  Paint  from  Glass. 

Use  soda  and  boiling  water.  If  the  paint  has  been  long 
on  the  glass  use  varnish  remover. 

Gas  Meter. 

Ask  the  gas  man  once  to  tell  you  how  to  read  the  gas 
meter,  and  you  will  be  able  to  keep  account  of  this  house 
expense. 

Rattling  Windows. 

If  the  windows  rattle,  tighten  the  window  fastening 
by  taking  off  the  plate  with  a  screw  driver.  Replace -it  a 
little  further  back  so  that  the  windows  are  held  closer  to- 
gether. 

Mica  Shades. 

Don't  buy  new  mica  shades  when  yours  look  dull.  Soak 
the  old  ones  for  five  minutes  in  vinegar  and  water. 

Matting. 

To  clean  matting,  wipe  over  with  cloth  wrung  out  in 
salt  and  water ;  then  wipe  dry. 

Enamel  Paint. 

ft 

If  enamel  paint  is  too  highly  polished,  rub  it  with  a  light 
pumice  stone  and  oil. 

How  and  When  to  Save  Money. 

The  first  thing  is  to  realize  the  value  of  education  in 
the  matter  of  buying  those  things  which  every  one  must 


FACTS  FOR  THE  HOMEMAKER  87 

purchase  to  live.  Women  are  the  great  purchasers  of 
household  supplies,  and  they  do  not  play  the  game  of 
living  intelligently  if  they  do  not  learn  how  to  buy. 

The  second  thing  is,  education  is  not  learning  some- 
thing by  heart  or  taking  as  truth  what  some  one  else  tells 
you.  Education  trains  us  to  think.  If  we  learn  to  think 
for  ourselves  we  will  be  able  to  estimate  the  relative  im- 
portance of  things.  On  certain  things  one  can  save 
money,  on  others  it  is  wiser  to  spend  money. 

Take  advantage  of  every  labor-saving  device  you  can 
afford.  Many  get  so  in  the  habit  of  doing  household  work 
one  way,  that  if  a  new  device  is  at  first  confusing  they  will 
not  accept  it. 

Dorit  save  money  (unless  economy  demands  it)  on  a 
mattress.  You  get  just  what  you  pay  for.  A  hair 
mattress  will  last  twice  as  long  as  a  cotton  mattress. 

Don't  save  money  on  a  moving  man  if  you  have  good 
furniture.  A  cheap  man  may  do  more  damage  to  one 
piece  of  furniture  than  what  you  have  saved. 

You  don't  save  money  by  buying  coal  or  groceries  in 
small  quantities.  In  the  end  you  pay  nearly  twice  as 
much. 

You  don't  save  money  by  buying  cheap  furniture,  var- 
nished to  look  expensive.  Furniture  should  last  two  or 
three  generations.  It  will  pay  in  the  end  to  have  it  made 
of  good  wood. 

You  save  nothing  by  buying  on  the  instalment  plan. 
This  is  only  a  loan  from  the  company  which  you  pay  little 
by  little,  adding  the  interest  on  the  loan  to  the  payment. 
Save  all  the  money  needed  first,  and  then  buy  your  furni- 
ture with  confidence.  You  will  get  full  value  for  your 
money  in  this  way. 

If  linen  is  laundered  at  home  (not  in  a  steam  laundry) 
it  pays  to  get  good  linen.  It  does  not  pay  to  get  more 


88      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

than  you  need.  If  bed  linen  and  towels  are  laundered  at 
a  laundry,  buy  them  cheap,  as  they  will  not  last  anyway. 
Save  money  where  frequent  renewals  are  inevitable,  as 
with  china  and  glass.  Expensive  pieces  break  as  quickly 
as  cheaper  ones ;  they  are  no  cleaner,  they  make  the  food 
no  better.  Neither  expensive  ones  nor  cheap  ones  suffer 
from  wear  and  tear.  It  is  breakage  that  destroys  the  use- 
fulness of  china  and  glass. 

Save  money  on  curtains.  These  are  destroyed  by  sun, 
dampness  and  air,  and  expensive  material  is  as  easily  af- 
fected by  these  things  as  cheaper  material. 

Save  money  on  tin  kitchen  ware.  It  rusts  soon  with  the 
best  of  care. 

Don't  save  money  on  brass  or  copper  utensils:  they  last 
forever  if  of  good  material. 

Tools. 

You  cannot  keep  your  house  in  order  without  tools. 
Have  not  only  utensils  to  cook  with,  brooms,  brushes  and 
cloths  to  clean  with,  but  tools  to  repair  what  is  out  of 
order.  Have  a  basket  made  of  wood  containing  hammer, 
screw  driver,  awl,  wrench,  nails,  tacks,  wire,  large  scissors 
and  any  other  tools  that  your  particular  need  requires. 
This  basket  can  be  taken  from  one  place  to  another  and 
the  tools  will  not  get  mislaid. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
LAUNDRY  WORK 

Laundry  Equipment. 

Before  doing  the  first  stroke  of  work  a  good  workman 
is  sure  that  he  has  at  hand  all  the  necessary  tools  and  ma- 
terial for  the  performance  of  his  particular  task.  This  is 
true  of  every  piece  of  work,  if  you  would  keep  your  mind 
and  work  orderly. 

In  this  task,  be  sure  that  you  have  time  enough ;  hur- 
ried work  is  usually  poor  work. 

Second,  see  that  the  place  you  have  to  work  in  is  the 
best  at  your  command.  A  light,  airy  basement  is  the  ideal 
laundry ;  but  the  majority  of  women  must  use  the  kitchen. 
If  the  kitchen  is  also  the  laundry,  great  care  must  be 
taken  that  the  soiled  clothes  (many  of  them  underclothes) 
are  not  about  at  the  time  the  food  is  cooking.  On  wash- 
day very  simple  food  should  be  served  and  as  much  of  this 
as  possible  cooked  the  day  before.  This  is  the  cleanest, 
easiest,  and  most  orderly  way. 

As  the  stove  will  be  needed  for  the  clothes-boiler  and 
irons,  there  will  be  but  little  space  for  pots  and  pans. 

Stove. 

In  some  homes,  where  space  and  money  are  plentiful, 
there  are  laundry  stoves  separate  from  cooking  stoves. 
Such  stoves  are  never  blackened,  because  the  irons  must 
be  kept  absolutely  clean ;  they  are  rubbed  clean  with  a  dry 
brush. 

89 


90   THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

In  the  majority  of  homes  the  cooking-stove  is  used  for 
irons.  Therefore,  be  very  careful  that  on  ironing-days, 
especially,  the  stove  is  rubbed  as  free  from  blacking  as  is 
possible. 

Tubs. 

•Porcelain  or  soapstone  tubs  are  the  best;  wooden  tubs 
absorb  odors. 

The  most  desirable  stationary  tubs  are  set  away  from 
the  wall,  t  but  these  are  seldom  found  in  apartments. 
When  the  tubs  are  built  against  the  wall  it  means  more 
care  for  the  housewife,  to  keep  dry  every  crack  and  edge 
and  hidden  crevice. 

If  galvanized  tubs  are  used,  be  careful  that  they  do  not 
rust.  Dry  well  and  occasionally  oil. 

In  the  country,  portable  wooden  tubs  are  used ;  if  these 
are  allowed  to  become  too  dry,  between  washings,  they 
will  fall  apart.  When  in  use  such  tubs  are  placed  on  a 
bench,  which  should  be  about  thirty-six  inches  high.  The 
advantage  of  portable  tubs  in  the  country  is,  that  they 
make  it  possible  to  wash  out  of  doors,  and  fresh  air  and 
sunlight  sweeten  the  clothes. 

Stoves  and  tubs  are  what  are  called  stationary  equip- 
ment and  are  usually  put  in  by  the  landlord ;  but  every 
woman  or  girl  is  responsible  for  their  condition  when 
wash-day  comes.  It  is  only  a  bad  housekeeper  who  uses 
her  tubs  as  a  storing  place  between  washings.  Damp 
tubs  breed  cockroaches. 

Movable  Equipment. 

If  the  laundress  is  the  right  kind  of  laundress,  she 
will  see  that  all  equipment  necessary  for  washing  and 
ironing  is  on  hand  and  in  good  repair  before  wash- 
day comes. 


LAUNDRY  WORK  91 

In   a   small   kitchen   many   things   that   we   have    for 
every-day  use  may  be  utilized  in  our  laundry  work,  thus 
avoiding  unnecessary  things  about,  and  also  saving  ex- 
pense. 
Rubbing-Board. 

There  are  three  kinds: 

Glass.     Which   is   most   easily   cared    for,   and   wears 
longest. 
•   Zinc  covered  boards. 

Wooden  boards.     Which  are  the  least  desirable. 

Wringer.  This  is  not  a  necessity,  but  helps  to  make 
easier  the  wringing  of  clothes.  It  is  more  economical  to 
buy  a  wringer  of  good  quality,  even  if  more  expensive. 
A  good  wringer  requires  very  careful  treatment.  To  keep 
the  rubber-rollers  clean,  it  is  very  necessary  after  each 
washing,  to  unroll  them  and  wipe  them  dry.  A  very 
good  housekeeper  will  have  a  slip  bag  to  keep  her  rollers 
in. 

Boiler.  An  oblong  boiler  is  more  practical  than  a  round 
one ;  it  holds  more  clothes  and  fits  better  on  the  stove. 

A  copper  boiler  will  outlast  all  others,  but  it  is  expen- 
sive. 

A  tin  boiler,  with  copper  bottom,  is* a  very  practical 
boiler  to  buy. 

An  all-tin  boiler  is  cheap  but  it  does  not  last. 

Any  boiler  must  be  carefully  dried  after  each  wash- 
ing. 

HAVE  ON  HAND  ON  LAUNDRY  DAY 

Clothes-Stick.  An  old  broom-handle  is  as  good  a  stick 
as  any  other  to  take  clothes  from  the  boiler. 

Pail.     To  carry  water. 

Dipper.     The  house  dipper  will  answer. 

Agate  pan.  This  is  for  starching;  the  dish-pan  will 
answer. 


92      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Saucepan.     To  make  the  starch  in. 

Tea-kettle.     Be  sure  it  is  absolutely  clean. 

Three  brushes.  One  for  scrubbing  the  wood-work  of 
board,  tubs,  etc. 

One  for  removing  very  soiled  spots  from  clothes. 

One  when  it  is  necessary  to  use  cleaning  fluids. 

Wooden  spoon.     For  starch. 

Strainer.     For  starch. 

Clothes-basket. 

Clothes-horse  or  towel-rack. 

Clothes-line  and  clothes-pins. 

Get  a  good  clothes-line,  it  lasts  .  longer ;  a  poor  line 
is  not  safe.  •  Take  the  clothes-line  down  every  time  it 
is  used.  Wipe  with  damp  cloth  before  using.  Metal 
lines  rust  easily. 

Clothes-bag  for  pins.  Have  this  of  pretty  cretonne,  and 
make  it  an  attractive  addition  to  the  kitchen. 

Duster  for  clothes-line.     Any  clean  duster  will  answer. 

A  cloth  for  wiping  tubs,  boiler,  etc. 

Small  piece  of  perfectly  clean  cloth,  always  at  hand  to 
rub  off  any  spots. 

Equipment  for  Ironing. 

Ironing-table  or  board.  It  should  be  covered  with 
flannel  or  a  coarse  blanket,  and  cotton  cloth  pinned  tightly 
over  this.  A  drawer  in  an  ironing-table  is  a  great  con- 
venience. 

Irons.  There  are  many  kinds  of  irons :  gas  and  elec- 
tric, which  are  expensive. 

Nickel-plated.     These  do  not  rust. 

Iron  ones  are  the  most  common  and  many  a  laundress 
will  use  no  other  kind.  These  must  be  of  different  sizes. 
They  must  be  kept  smooth.  When  not  in  use  keep  in  a 
dry,  clean  place.  Wash,  and  heat  irons  before  using 


LAUNDRY  WORK  93 

Iron-holders.  Do  not  use  any  old  rag  for  an  iron- 
holder,  but  take  time  to  make  three  or  four  holders  of 
bright,  pretty  material. 

Iron-stand.     A  tin  cover  may  be  used  for  this. 

Wax.  This  is  needed  to  prevent  irons  from  stick- 
ing. 

Sandpaper.     For  smoothing  irons. 

Heavy  paper  and  cloth.  This  to  test  the  heat  of  the 
irons ;  never  try  them  on  the  ironing  board. 

Materials  Used  in  Laundry  Work. 

Soap.     Use  a  soap  containing  little  resin. 

Ammonia.     Mild. 

Borax.     For  removing  stains  and  softening  water. 

Sal-soda.     For  cleaning  the  tubs  and  pipes. 

Salt.     Used  for  smoothing  irons ;  also  for  stains. 

White  vinegar.     Sets  color. 

Alcohol.     For  stains. 

Bluing.  Not  liquid.  Bluing,  in  liquid  form,  is  usually 
a  compound  of  ferro-ferric  oxide;  that  is,  an  iron  com- 
pound, and  injurious  to  clothes  in  combination  with  an 
alkali.  Soap  is  an  alkali ;  therefore,  clothes  not  well 
rinsed,  after  bluing,  will  often  show  rust-marks. 

Starch.     It  will  pay  to  get  the  best. 

There  are  many  liquids  for  removing  stains,  such  as 
Javelle  water,  ether,  etc.,  but  any  girl  who  is  not  a 
trained  laundress  cannot  be  trusted  with  these  things; 
when  not  used  properly  they  spoil  the  clothes. 

Many  clever  women  have  found  substitutes  for  vari- 
ous articles  of  laundry  equipment  that  may  for  some 
reason  be  missing,  even  in  the  home  of  a  good  house- 
keeper. It  will  be  interesting  for  any  one  studying  this 
book  to  take  note  of  any  substitution  that  has  taken  place 
in  her  home. 


94      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Body  Clothes. 

Clothes  which  are  worn  absorb  waste  matter  thrown 
off  from  the  body  in  the  form  of  perspiration,  and  in  bits 
of  dead  skin  which  are  being  constantly  rubbed  off. 
The  food  that  we  eat  repairs  this  waste.  Our  undercloth- 
ing, because  of  th'is  waste  matter,  becomes  damp,  sticky, 
and  oily.  Unclean  clothes  increase  the  heat  of  the  body 
in  summer  and  make  it  colder  in  winter.  A  bath  every 
day,  winter  and  summer,  followed  by  clean  clothes  at 
least  twice  a  week  in  winter  and  oftener  in  summer,  will 
do  much  to  prevent  discomfort  and  illness.  In  the  case 
of  small  children  clean  clothes  will  often  stop  their 
fretting,  which  indicates  irritation. 

As  every  girl  knows,  dust  must  be  removed,  if  for  no 
other  reason,  because  dirt  indicates  the  possible  presence 
of  disease  germs. 

Sorting  the  Clothes. 

Sorting  is  the  separation  of  clothes,  before  washing,  into 
the  divisions  in  which  they  are  to  be  washed. 

Table  linen,  Towels, 

Bed  linen,  Flannels, 

Underclothes,  Stockings, 

Handkerchiefs,  Print  or  colored  dresses. 

Before  beginning  the  actual  washing,  it  will  make  the 
labor  much  more  interesting  to  know  something  of  the 
materials  that  are  to  be  washed.  The  care  of  the  stove 
is  more  interesting  work  after  studying  about  coal  and 
wood.  Care  of  household  garbage  is  interesting  when  we 
know  about  the  municipal  problems  in  the  disposition  of 
the  city  waste.  This  rule  holds  good  in  laundering. 

The  materials  ordinarily  laundered  are  linen,  cotton, 
silk  and  wool. 


LAUNDRY  WORK  95 

"Linen. 

Linen  is  not  so  good  for  many  things  as  cotton ;  it 
wrinkles  easily  and  is  much  more  expensive.  .  For  the 
table  how.ever  it  is  the  best  material  to  use;  its  smooth, 
brilliant  texture  adds  to  the  beauty  of  the  table;  it  looks 
fresh  and  clean  and  when  properly  laundered  lasts  welL 

Linen  is  woven  from  flax.  Flax  is  a  plant  which 
grows  from  two  to  three  feet  high,  bears  small  leaves  and 
blue  flowers.  When  the  seeds  of  flax  begin  to  ripen  the 
plant  is  pulled  up  by  the  roots.  Then  follows  a  process 
called  "  rippling  "  by  which  the  seeds  are  taken  from  the 
plant.  The  stalk  is  then  steeped  in  water  to  produce 
fermentation.  Then  comes  "  scutching,"  by  which  the 
fibre  is  freed  from  its  woody  core;  then  a  process 
called  "  heckling "  by  which  the  fiber  is  combed  out, 
straightened,  and  the  longer  threads  separated  from  the 
woolly  mass.  "  Spinning "  is  twisting*  the  fiber  into 
thread.  "  Weaving  "  is  the  art  of  producing  the  linen 
cloth  from  a  combination  of  these  threads. 

Making  linen  of  flax  is  but  one  of  the  uses  of  the  flax 
plant.  The  seed  is  very  nutritive ;  linseed  oil,  which  is 
made  from  the  seed,  is  a  great  industry.  Flax  used  to 
be  raised  on  individual  farms,  and  the  women  of  the 
family  took  the  flax  after  the  heckling  and  with  their  own 
hands  did  the  spinning,  weaving,  bleaching,  and  finishing. 

The  cultivation  of  cotton  did  much  to  lessen  the  neces- 
sity for  linen,  and  the  introduction  of  machinery  did  away 
with  flax-growing  and  weaving  as  an  individual  farm  in- 
dustry; even  dragging  up  the  flax  by  the  roots  is  all 
done  now  by  machinery.  Hand-linen  looms  are  not  used 
to-day,  and  many  families  were  ruined  when  the  ma- 
chinery for  making  linen  was  introduced,  as  their  hand- 
looms  were  their  only  wealth. 

In  the  process  of  making  linen,  "  finishing  "  is  the  last 


96      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

step.  It  is  in  this  finishing  that  the  linen  manufacturers 
are  able  to  deceive  the  public.  This  finishing  or  sizing  is 
the  gloss  on  the  linen;  it  is  often  simply  starch  ironed 
in,  and  polished  hard.  The  starch  will  wash  out  with  the 
first  laundering.  When  you  buy  linen  the  way  to  test 
good  from  bad  is  to  rub  a  piece  of  it  between  the  fingers ; 
if  it  is  thickened  with  starch  instead  of  being  really  heavy 
linen,  the  starch  will  come  off  on  your  fingers ;  also  after 
you  have  rubbed  a  little  of  the  starch  out  the  linen  will 
have  a  thin  look,  while  good  linen  will  stand  rubbing  and 
keep  its  firm  appearance. 

Cotton  Cloth. 

Underclothes  often  are  made  of  cotton  cloth,  so  also 
is  what  we  call  "  bed-linen."  This  expression  comes 
from  the  old  times  when  sheets  and  pillow-cases  always 
were  made  of  linen.  Linen  is  too  expensive  now  to  be 
used  generally  for  sheets. 

Cotton  is  now  our  chief  vegetable  fiber.  At  least  six 
billion  pounds  a  year  are  produced,  and  the  United  States 
raises  the  larger  part  of  this. 

Cotton  is  the  white  downy  covering  of  the  cotton-plant, 
and  the  value  of  the  cotton  depends  upon  the  evenness 
and  strength  of  the  fiber.  In  cheap  cotton  the  fiber  is 
about  an  inch  long ;  in  good  material  the  fiber  is  two  inches 
long.  Long  fiber  cotton  is  used  for  fine  cotton  laces,  fine 
lawn,  and  muslin  goods,  while  the  short  fiber  cotton  is 
made  into  inexpensive  cloth.  One  reason  why  cotton  is 
cheap  is  that  there  is  only  five  per  cent  loss  in  preparing 
it  for  use. 

There  is  not  time  in  a  book  like  this  to  make  a  study  of 
the  manufacture  of  cotton,  but  every  woman  and  girl 
should  know  good  cotton  cloth  from  a  poor  quality.  It  is 
true  in  cotton,  as  in  linen,  that  the  finish  or  sizing  is  de- 


LAUNDRY  WORK  97 

ceptive.  This,  too,  can  be  put  on  with  starch  which, 
when  washed  out,  leave  the  cloth  loosely  woven  and 
flimsy.  Rub  the  cloth,  and  feel  it  with  your  fingers  and 
you  will  soon  be  able  to  judge  the  quality. 

Do  not  blame  the  woman  behind  the  counter  if  you 
find  that  you  have  bought  a  nightgown,  for  example,  that 
looks  cheap  after  a  few  washings.  The  saleswoman  does 
not  make  the  goods,  and  does  not  set  the  price;  very 
likely  she  herself  has  no  knowledge  of  cottons.  She  is 
paid  to  make  you  buy  the  nightgown. 

It  is  well  to  remember  a  few  good  rules  about  ready- 
made  cotton  underclothes.  If  an  article  is  cheaper  than 
the  market  price  there  is  usually  some  reason  for  it ;  if  it 
is  being  sold  at  a  marked-down  sale  it  is  worth  while  to 
examine  it  very  carefully.  After  you  have  rubbed  it  in 
your  fingers  if  it  feels  thin  and  loosely  woven  do  not  buy 
it,  no  matter  how  tempting  the  bargain.  If  any  one  gets 
good  cloth  and  good  work  she  has  to  pay  for  them. 

Colored  Cotton  Cloth. 

Gingham  is  made  of  yarn  which  is  dyed  before  it  is 
woven  into  cloth.  Cretonne,  chintz,  and  calico  are  made 
into  cloth  and  then  stamped. 

Outing  cloth,  which  is  an  imitation  of  wool,  is  soft  and 
light  and  made  of  cotton.  It  does  not  shrink  like  wool, 
the  best  grades  do  not  fade,  but  it  has  not  the  warmth 
of  wool. 

Flannels. 

Flannel,  which  is  all  wool,  is  made  from  the  soft,  hairy 
covering  of  sheep  and  goats.  The  wool  of  the  llama  of 
South  Africa  also  is  used  in  making  stuffs  for  women's 
wear.  Sheep-raising  was  a  business  long  before  agricul- 
ture was  known ;  in  fact  so  long  ago  that  no  one  knows 


98       THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

when  man  first  realized  that  the  wool  of  sheep  was  valu- 
able. As  soon  as  wool  began  to  be  used  for  cloth  the 
sheep-raiser  saw  the  need  of  improving  the  fleece.  This 
was  done  by  careful  breeding,  careful  feeding,  and  by 
protecting  the  wool-bearing  animals  in  bad  weather;  in 
other  words,  the  more  domestic  a  sheep  is,  the  softer  and 
finer  the  wool.  Much  of  the  wool  used  in  this  country 
comes  from  Australia,  South  America,  and  South  Africa. 

The  wools  used  for  blankets  and  carpets  come  from  a 
lower  quality  of  sheep,  where  the  hair  is  harder  and 
coarser. 

Cashmere  wool  is  the  most  costly  of  all  wools,  and 
comes  from  the  cashmere  goat  in  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains. 

In  old  times,  wool  manufacture  was  a  home  industry, 
just  as  linen  was.  The  beautiful  hand-spinning  and 
weaving  done  then  has  not  been  excelled  to  this  day. 
The  first  wool  machine  in  this  country  was  in  Pittsfield, 
Massachusetts,  in  1790. 

Manufacture  of  Woolens  and  Worsteds. 

First,  the  sheep  is  washed,  and  then  sheared ;  the  wool 
is  then  beaten  to  get  rid  of  dust  and  other  impurities, 
then  washed  again.  This  second  washing,  after  the 
wool  is  taken  from  the  sheep,  is  not  only  needed  to  remove 
dirt  but  a  fatty  secretion,  called  "  yolk."  Wool  is 
washed  in  a  soapy  solution,  often  with  soda  added; 
and  is  passed  from  one  tub  to  another  until  it  comes 
from,  the  last  tub  comparatively  clean;  it  is  then 
dried,  bleached,  or  dyed.  Even  after  all  this,  the  wool 
has  a  matted  appearance,  and  contains  some  dust  and 
sand.  The  process  of  removing  this  is  called  "  willow- 
ing,"  and  is  done  by  a  machine  that  gently  tears  the 
matted  locks  apart,  and  frees  the  wool  of  all  impurities. 


LAUNDRY  WORK  99 

"  Mixing  "  comes  next,  and  is  a  process  whereby  wools 
of  different  quality  are  mixed  together.  If  other  ma- 
terial, such  as  silk  or  cotton,  is  to  be  blended  with  the 
wool,  it  is  done  at  this  time. 

Oiling.  The  wool,  after  its  many  washings,  is  hard 
and  wiry,  and  in  order  to  restore  its  natural  softness  it  is 
slightly  oiled  while  it  is  being  mixed.  Up  to  this  point 
worsteds  and  woolens  go  through  the  same  process ;  after 
this  the  work  is  different :  worsted  thread  is  combed 
and  the  thread  twisted  until  it  becomes  hard ;  woolen 
yarn,  from  which  woolen  goods  are  made,  is  simply 
carded  and  loosely  spun. 

Carding.  This  process  produces  a  thread  whose  fibers 
lie  loosely,  projecting  from  the  main  thread  in  little  ends 
which  form  the  nap  of  the  cloth. 

Spinning  is  the  art  of  drawing  and  twisting  this  fiber 
so  that  it  is  formed  into  continuous  threads,  ready  for 
weaving  or  knitting. 

Wealing.     This  is  the  art  of  making  thread  into  cloth. 

Stains  on  Clothes. 

As  a  good  laundress  sorts  her  clothes  she  will  look  for 
stains.  Any  garment  or  article  having  a  stain  on  it  should 
be  laid  aside,  for  if  put  into  hot  soapy  water  it  will  set 
the  stain  and  make  it  difficult  to  remove. 

Blood  Stains.  Wash  in  cold  water,  then  rub  with 
naphtha  soap,  and  soak  in  warm  water.  If  the  stain  re- 
mains apply  a  paste  of  raw  starch. 

Chocolate  or  Tea.  Sprinkle  with  borax  and  soak  in 
cold  water ;  then,  when  washed  in  the  hot  soapy  water 
the  stain  will  come  out. 

Coffee,  Fruit.  Lay  the  stained  part  over  a  bowl  and 
pour  boiling  water  on  it;  have  the  water  come  from  a 
height  so  as  to  give  it  force. 


ioo      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Glue.  Vinegar  rubbed  on  with  a  cloth  will  remove 
glue. 

Grass  Stains.  Warm  water  and  naphtha  soap  should 
take  out  grass  stain.  If  on  white  goods  ammonia  may  be 
added. 

Grease.  Wash  in  gasoline  and  then  warm  water  and 
soap. 

Ink.  Let  the  stained  part  stand  in  milk,  and  when  the 
milk  is  discolored  change  it  to  fresh  milk.  Wash  next  in 
cold  water,  and  lastly  wash  in  warm  water  with  a  little 
ammonia,  if  the  goods  are  white. 

Ink  on  Carpet,  ist.  Take  up  all  possible  ink  with  a 
spoon.  2nd.  Lay  on  carpet  blotting  paper;  press  well 
into  carpet.  Take  fresh  piece  and  repeat.  3rd.  Wash 
stain  with  warm  water  and  ammonia.  Use  milk  if  you 
have  no  ammonia. 

Kerosene.  Use  Fuller's  earth  made  into  a  paste,  and 
let  this  remain  on  the  stain  for  twenty-four  hours. 

Machine  Oil.  Wash  first  with  soap  and  cold  water, 
and  then  rub  with  turpentine  if  the  stain  is  not  removed. 

Mildew.  Usually  it  is  our  own  fault  if  the  clothes 
are  mildewed ;  they  have  been  neglected  and  left  damp 
in  a  close  place.  If  they  should  become  mildewed, 
squeeze  lemon  juice  on  the  stain,  and  lay  it  in  the  sun- 
light. If  this  does  not  remove  the  stain,  make  a  paste  of 
soap,  starch,  lemon  and  salt,  and  let  this  paste  stand  on 
the  spot  for  twenty- four  hours. 

Milk.     If  on  a  colored  dress,  wash  with  cold  water. 

Paint.     Use  benzine  or  turpentine. 

Perspiration.     Soap-suds  and  sunshine. 

Scorch.  Rub  the  scorched  article  with  lemon  and  put 
in  the  sun. 

Stove  Polish.     Naphtha  soap  and  cold  water. 


LAUNDRY  WORK  101 

Wagon  Grease.  Rub  with  lard  and  then  wash  with 
warm  water  and  soap. 

Wax.  Place  brown  paper  over  grease  spot  and  press 
paper  with  warm  iron. 

Wine.  Put  a  layer  of  salt  on  the  stain ;  then  pour 
boiling  water  over  the  spot,  as  in  fruit  stains. 

The  next  step  after  sorting  clothes  and  looking  for 
stains  is  to : 

Soak  Clothes.  This  is  done  to  loosen  the  dirt  so  that 
the  garment  will  require  less  rubbing  when  washed.  Add 
a  little  soap  to  the  water  in  which  clothes  are  soaked. 
Stockings  and  colored  clothes  are  not  soaked. 

Clothes  are  soaked  usually  over   night. 

In  the  morning  wring  out  the  clothes.  Wash  the  tubs 
and  fill  nearly  full  of  hot  water.  Fill  the  boiler  half 
full  of  cold  water  and  add  enough  dissolved  soap  to  make 
a  light  suds.  Put  a  coarse,  clean  cloth  in  bottom  of  the 
boiler,  to  prevent  clothes  scorching.  You  are  now  ready 
to  wash,  not  to  talk  about  it,  but  to  do  the  actual  work. 

In  clothes,  as  in  dishes,  the  cleanest  are  washed  first. 

Table  and  Bed  Linen. 

Put  these  in  one  tub  of  hot  water;  use  soap  freely.  As 
each  piece  is  washed  wring  it  with  the  hands  and  drop  it 
in  the  next  tub  of  water.  When  all  of  this  first  lot  are  in 
the  second  tub,  wash  them  again  with  soap,  as  before ;  as 
each  piece  is  washed  and  wrung  from  this  tub,  drop  it  in 
the  boiler  of  cold  water.  When  the  boiler  is  full  start  the 
fire,  if  it  is  a  gas  or  electric  stove;  put  the  boiler  over 
the  hot  fire,  if  it  is  a  coal  stove.  Press  the  clothes  down 
with  a  wooden  stick,  which  is  also  needed  to  turn  the 
clothes  and  take  them  from  the  boiler. 

While  the  first  tubful  of  clothes  is  scalding  in  the  boiler, 


102      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

rub  out  the  second  tubful  of  underclothes,  which  are  the 
next  cleanest,  in  the  same  manner. 

When  the  second  lot  is  ready  for  the  boiler,  the  first 
should  have  finished  boiling  and  be  ready  to  take  out. 
Put  these  in  a  tub  of  clear  water.  Wash  the  third  lot, 
which  will  be  the  more  soiled  clothes  and  towels,  while 
the  second  lot  is  in  the  boiler.  Take  the  second  lot  from 
the  boiling  water  and  put  them  in  the  tub  with  first 
clothes,  and  then  put  third  washing  in  the  boiler.  It  is 
now  time  to  rinse  the  first  and  second  clothes.  First, 
wash  out  and  thoroughly  clean  the  tubs  that  have  been 
used  in  washing,  as  they  are  to  be  used  for  the  rinsing. 
Fill  both  tubs  with  clear  hot  water ;  rinse  and  wring  from 
one  tub  into  the  other,  then  wring  out  into  bluing  water. 
The  last  boiler  of  clothes  should  be  rinsed  in  the  same 
way  and  blued.  As  the  clothes  are  wrung  out  from  the 
bluing  water  separate  those  that  require  starching. 

Bluing  Water. 

Use  clean  cold  water,  and  have  the  bluing  ball  tied  in  a 
cloth,  to  prevent  specks  coming  onto  the  clothes.  Never 
allow  the  clothes  to  stand  in  this  water,  as  they  will  be- 
come streaked,  and  never,  for  the  same  reason,  allow 
them  to  rest  on  the  bottom  of  the  tub. 

Hanging. 

Be  sure  the  lines  are  clean  and  tight.  Every  time  they 
are  used  they  must  be  wiped  with  a  clean,  damp  cloth. 
See  that  the  clothes-pins  are  clean  and  not  broken.  Hang 
clothes  of  a  kind  together,  and  hang  white  clothes  in  the 
sunlight,  if  possible.  All  articles  should  be  hung  on  the 
wrong  side.  Hang  the  sheets  out  first,  as  they  take  the 
longest  time  to  dry.  In  hanging  fine  pieces,  and  the  un- 
derclothes, be  careful  that  the  clothes-pins  do  not  tear  the 


LAUNDRY  WORK  103 

Starched  Clothes. 

Bed  linen,  towels,  table  linen  and  handkerchiefs  should 
never  be  starched.  People  differ  about  underclothes. 
Many  care  for  no  starch,  while  others  wish  a  little,  real- 
izing that  garments  iron  more  easily  when  starched,  and 
keep  clean  longer. 

To  Make  Thick  Starch. 

Half  cup  of  starch, 
Half  cup  of  cold  water, 
One  quart  o*f  boiling  water. 
One  quarter  teaspoon ful  of  lard  or  wax, 
One  teaspoon  ful  of  borax. 

Mix  the  starch  with  cold  water,  and  make  smooth ; 
slowly  add  wax,  borax,  and  boiling  water.  Allow  the 
starch  to  cook  about  fifteen  minutes,  and  then  strain. 
Use  the  starch  hot.  Borax  gives  stiffness,  gloss,  and 
whiteness  to  clothes;  wax  keeps  irons  from  sticking. 
Thin  starch. 

This  is  made  in  the  same  way,  except  that  three  quarts 
of  hot  water,  instead  of  one  quart,  are  added.  Wring 
clothes  out  in  hot  starch  while  they  are  still  Wet.  Hang 
them  out  of  the  wind  to  dry ;  wind  blows  the  starch  from 
the  clothes. 
Raw  starch. 

Two  tablespoonfuls  of  starch, 
One  half  teaspoonful  of  borax, 
Two  cups  of  cold  water. 

Dissolve  the  borax  in  a  little  hot  water ;  mix  starch 
with  cold  water  and  add  this  to  the  borax.  This  is  used 
for  starching  shirts  and  collars  and  cuffs. 

When  cold  water  is  used,  the  articles  to  be  starched 
must  be  thoroughly  dry  before  starching.  As  each  article 


104      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

is  starched,  squeeze  it  and  roll  it  in  a  towel  for  an  hour 
before  ironing. 

Woolens  and  Flannels. 

As  these  require  great  care  to  prevent  them  from 
shrinking,  it  is  well  to  do  them  on  a  day  separate  from 
the  regular  wrash  day.  All  woolen  material  should  be 
washed  in  lukewarm  water,  and  rinsed  in  water  of  the 
same  temperature.  In  the  first  water  use  a  soap  solution ; 
never  rub  soap  on  the  garment.  If  woolen  garments  are 
not  thoroughly  rinsed,  so  that  no  soap  remains,  they  will 
not  be  soft.  When  washing,  do  not  rub  flannels  more 
than  is  necessary,  as  rubbing  hardens  and  thickens  them. 
Use  borax  and  ammonia  if  the  water  is  hard.  Dry  flan- 
nels in  the  sun  or  in  the  air;  never  near  a  hot  stove. 
Squeeze  dry,  and  shake  well,  before  hanging.  Hang 
wrong  side  out.  Never  let  flannels  freeze  because  it 
shrinks  them.  White  clothes  are  not  injured  by  freez- 
ing. It  is  well  to  bring  flannels  indoors  before  they  are 
perfectly  dry;  roll  them  in  clean  cloths  and  iron  as  soon 
as  possible.  , 

Blue  flannel  will  keep  its  color  better  if  a  tablespoonful 
of  vinegar  is  added  to  the  rinsing  water. 

White  flannels  are  blued,  as  are  other  white  clothes, 
but  great  care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  water  of  the 
same  temperature  as  the  washing  water. 

Good  Things  to  Remember  About  Flannels. 

First.  Don't  allow  them  to  get  very  soiled  before  wash- 
ing, as  rubbing  hard  injures  them. 

Second.  Wash  in  lukewarm  water,  one  piece  at  a 
time. 

Third.  Do  not  soak  flannels,  as  if  hardens  them;  do 
not  boil,  as  it  shrinks  them ;  wash  quickly. 


LAUNDRY  WORK  105 

Fourth.  Rinsing  and  bluing  waters  should  be  of  the 
same  temperature  as  the  washing  water. 

Fifth.  Shake  flannels  before  washing  and  shake  them 
after  washing,  before  hanging. 

Blankets. 

Select  a  clear,  windy  day  in  which  to  wash  blankets. 
Fill  two  tubs  with  lukewarm  water ;  pour  a  soap  solu- 
tion into  one  tub  and  a  weak  soda  solution  into  the 
other. 

Dissolve  three  tablespoonfuls  of  borax  in  a  quart  of 
water  and  divide  this  between  the  two  tubs. 

Shake  the  blankets ;  then  put  one  pair  into  the  first  tub, 
sop  it  up  and  down  until  the  dirt  is  out  of  it ;  squeeze 
the  water  out  and  put  it  in  the  next  tub ;  sop  up  and  down 
as  before.  Now  rinse  the  blankets  very  thoroughly  in 
waters  of  the  same  temperature  as  the  washing  water. 
Run  the  blankets  through  a  wringer,  if  you  have  one. 
Shake  hard  before  hanging  up  to  dry.  Hang,  by  firmly 
pinning  in  many  places, 'so  that  no  great  strain  may  come 
on  any  one  part  of  the  blanket. 

If  there  are  any  soiled  spots  remaining  on  the  blanket 
spread  it  on  a  board  and  rub  with  a  brush ;  rubbing  with 
the  hands  twists  the  fiber.  Have  fresh  water  for  each 
pair  of  blankets.  Be  sure  that  the  blankets  are  perfectly 
dry  before  they  are  taken  from  the  line  ;  brush  with  a  soft 
brush  after  drying  or  beat  with  a  clean  furniture  beater. 
Fold  and  place  between  sheets  with  a  heavy  weight  on 
the  top ;  this  is  better  than  ironing. 

Colored  Clothes. 

To  set  the  color  in  clothes  before  washing,  rinse  the 
colored  garments  in  one  gallon  of  water  to  which  has  been 
added,  either,  one  tablespoonful  of  salt  or  one  quarter  cup 


io6      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

of  vinegar.  Colored  clothes  should  never  be  soaked.  Do 
not  use  much  soap  in  washing ;  do  not  have  the  water  hot, 
only  warm;  do  not  use  strong,  yellow  soap  or  washing- 
powder  or  ammonia ;  do  not  rub  any  soap  on  the  garment 
but  wash  in  suds.  Colored  clothes  must  not  be  boiled  or 
blued.  Dry  quickly  and  dry  in  the  shade. 

If  a  girl  will  remember  all  of  the  "  don'ts  "  connected 
with  the  washing  of  colored  clothes,  she  may  be  trusted 
to  wash  them. 

To  Wash  Silks. 

Make  warm,  soapy  water  of  Ivory  soap.  Rub  article 
to  be  washed  as  little  as  possible;  squeeze  the. dirt  out  so 
as  not  to  hurt  the  weave.  Do  not  use  ammonia  on  white 
silk;  it  makes  it  yellow.  One  teaspoonful  of  borax  dis- 
solved in  a  pint  of  boiling  water  softens  the  water.  This 
is  sufficient  for  two  tubs  of  water  and  should  be  added 
to  the  soapy  water.  Rinse  in  two  waters ;  wring  as  gently 
as  possible,  and  hang  out  to  dry.  When  half  dry,  take  in, 
roll  tightly  in  clean  cloth,  towel  or  sheet ;  let  it  stand  thus 
for  an  hour  and  then  press. 

Ribbons  are  washed  by  spreading  them  on  a  clean 
board,  scrubbing  them  with  a  soft  brush,  rinsing  well  and 
pressing  the  same  as  silk.  Do  not  use  too  hot  an  iron  on 
silk ;  it  makes  it  stiff. 

Stockings. 

Great  care  should  be  given  to  the  washing  of  stockings. 
Clean,  fresh  stockings  mean  warmer  feet  in  winter  and 
cooler  feet  in  summer.  Stockings  rinsed  out  but  not 
washed  are  not  u  clean  "  stockings. 

Stockings  should  be  first  washed  on  the  right  side  and 
then  turned  and  washed  on  the  wrong  side.  Never  rinse 
stockings  in  water  that  has  been  used  for  other  clothes,  as 


LAUNDRY  WORK  107 

it  contains  lint.     It  is  well  to  rinse  new  stockings  in  salt 
water  to  set  the  color. 

Silk  stockings  are  washed  like  other  silk  goods. 

Woolen  stockings  are  washed  the  same  as  flannels. 

Cleaning  of  Tubs. 

This  is  the  last  task  connected  with  washing,  and  is 
most  important.  First,  the  tubs  should  be  scrubbed  to 
remove  the  grease  and  scum.  Lint  from  the  clothes  Is 
very  bad  for  the  pipes ;  therefore,  they  should  be  flushed 
with  soda  water  after  every  washing.  If  the  water  runs 
slowly  down  the  pipes,  even  after  using  soda,  pour  down 
potash  and  boiling  water. 

Dry  the  tubs,  and  the  woodwork  all  about  them.  Do 
not  use  tubs  for  anything  between  washings. 

IRONING 

It  is  not  possible  to  learn  ironing  with  a  few  trials ;  for 
knowledge  of  this  art  comes  only  with  practice.  Ironing 
is  like  cooking;  all  that  any  book  can  do  is  to  start  a 
girl  in  the  right  way.  As  was  taught  in  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  laundry  lessons,,  do  not  begin  to  iron  until 
everything  for  the  work  is  at  hand.  Go  over  once  more 
the  necessary  things. 

Ironing  table  or  board,         Cloth  and  paper  for  testing 

Iron  stand,  irons, 

Flat-irons,  Wax, 

Iron  holders,  Sandpaper, 

Bowl  and  cloth  for  dampening  dry  spots. 

First,  be  sure  the  work  of  covering  the  ironing-board 
is  understood.  Every  girl  should  be  able  to  cover  an 
ironing-board  so  that  it  will  be  smooth  and  tight. 

To  obtain  good  results,  clothes  must  be  well  dampened. 
Spread  each  article  out  on  a  clean  cloth  and  sprinkle  one 


io8      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

piece  at  a  time.  This  is  done  with  the  hand  or  a  clean 
whisk-broom  that  is  used  for  nothing  else.  Then  roll  the 
clothes,  turning  in  the  edges  as  you  roll. 

Plain  articles,  such  as  towels,  napkins,  handkerchiefs, 
may  be  rolled  together.  After  sprinkling  and  rolling,  it 
is  a  good  thing  to  let  them  stand  several  hours  before 
ironing.  Starched  clothes  need  to  be  damper  than  those 
that  are  not  starched,  except  those  with  cold  water 
starch. 

There  are  always  some  clothes  that  do  not  require  iron- 
ing, such  as  knitted  underwear,  woolens  and  stockings. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  smooth  these  out  well  and  fold 
carefully  ;  they  are  fresher  if  not  ironed. 

Be  very  sure  that  the  irons  are  clean  before  heating. 
Place  the  articles  needed  for  the  ironing  on  the  ironing- 
board,  at  the  right.  Iron  the  coarser  things  first,  as  the 
irons  become  smoother  the  longer  they  are  used. 

First  towels,  then  napkins,  table  doilies,  sheets  and  pil- 
low-cases, and  handkerchiefs. 

Be  careful  that  the  hems  are  properly  ironed  and  the 
edges  even  —  edge  to  edge.  If  there  is  embroidery  on  the 
articles  iron  this  first  and  on  the  wrong  side. 

Fold  hems  of  sheets  together  and  fold  wrong  side  out. 
Iron  table-linen  on  the  right  side.  Iron  all  pieces  until 
dry,  that  is,  until  all  steam  stops  rising. 

Underclothes. 

If  there  is  embroidery,  iron  this  first.  Then  the  sleeves, 
the  yoke,  and  lastly  the  body  of  the  garment.  Iron  over 
as  large  a  space  at  one  time  as  possible,  and  do  the  work 
rapidly,  or  the  garment  will  dry. 

Skirts. 

The  ruffle  is  ironed  first,  then  the  band,  and  lastly  the 
body  of  the  skirt. 


LAUNDRY  WORK  109 

Any  garment  with  folds  and  seams  should  hang  for  a 
while  before  being  folded;  it  is  difficult  to  get  the  seams 
perfectly  dry  with  the  iron.  Starched  clothes  require  a 
very  hot  iron. 

Remember  the  appearance  of  table  linen  and  handker- 
chiefs depends  upon  the  way  they  are  folded.  Fold  all 
napkins  alike  so  they  will  look  the  same  on  the  table. 

Iron  an  embroidered  article  on  a  Turkish  towel ;  this 
will  make  the  embroidery  stand  out. 

Never  allow  irons,  when  not  in  use,  to  stand  on  the 
stove ;  they  lose  their  temper,  and  are  not  able  to  hold  the 
heat. 


CHAPTER  IX 
MARKETING 

How  to  Learn  Marketing. 

The  only  way  to  learn  how  to  cook  is  by  cooking,  day 
after  day,  making  mistakes,  producing  unexpectedly  good 
results,  blundering  along,  working,  working,  working, 
until  finally  you  instinctively  know  the  taste  of  the  pud- 
ding before  you  begin  to  combine  the  ingredients.  You 
know  instantly  what  flavoring  is  lacking  in  the  stew  the 
moment  you  taste  it.  You  can  make  an  entire  meal  from 
the  left-overs  in  the  ice-box  by  adding  here  and  combin- 
ing there ;  and  never  will  you  waste  so  much  as  one  egg 
shell.  Only  then  are  you  a  first-class  cook.  Marketing 
is  mastered  in  the  same  way.  Not  one  visit  to  the  market 
with  a  teacher  can  teach  you  how  to  buy.  All  that 
teachers  and  books  can  do  is  to  give  you  the  rules  to 
work  by.  Taste,  education,  income,  digestibility,  time, 
all  go  toward  making  a  difference  in  diets. 

Don't  begin  to  market  after  you  get  to  the  store.  The 
ice-box,  the  window  shelf  that  holds  the  left-over  food, 
the  bread  box;  these  are  the  first  places  to  visit. 
Any  one  can  go  to  the  market  and  buy  steak,  vegetables, 
salad  and  a  dessert.  It  takes  an  artist  of  the  kitchen  to 
see  in  the  liquid  part  of  the  left-over  mutton  stew  the 
foundation  of  a  clam  chowder;  or  see  the  possibility  of 
good  meat  balls  in  the  strained-off  pieces  of  meat,  the  few 
pieces  of  stale  bread  in  the  bread-box  and  one  onion. 
To  a  woman  with  a  creative  mind  the  cold  cereal  of  yes- 
terday is  not  something  for  the  garbage  pail,  but  thicken- 
no 


MARKETING  in 

ing  for  soup.  All  children  do*  not  like  cereals  plain.  A 
wise  housekeeper  is  glad  of  the  chance  to  give  such  a  child 
this  nourishing  food  in  combination  with  other  foods. 
In  the  ice-box  the  good  housekeeper  may  find  the  water 
that  yesterday's  corned  beef  was  cooked  in,  or  the  vegeta- 
ble water  from  yesterday's  beets.  At  once  she  thinks  of 
pea  soup,  using  the  corned  beef  water  instead  of  pork; 
or  with  vegetables,  adding  the  beet  water  to  soup  stock. 
A  few  pieces  of  stale  cake  are  in  the  cake  box;  that 
means  that  with  one  egg,  a  little  milk,  sugar  and  chocolate 
you  have  the  pudding  for  dinner. 

Now  when  you  start  for  the  butcher's  and  the  grocer's 
you  buy  only  what  will  supplement  and  make  into  new 
combinations  the  food  at  home. 

What  are  some  of  the  foundation  principles  that  every 
housewife  should  carry  with  her  to  the  market  and  what 
are  some  of  the  faults  she  should  overcome? 

Waste  is  one  of  America's  greatest  faults. 

You  want  the  meat  of  an  egg  to-day  rather  than  the 
egg  shell,  but  it  is  wasteful  not  to  foresee  that  to-morrow 
morning  you  will  want  the  shell  to  clear  the  coffee.  In 
the  same  foolish  way,  women  buy  meat,  and  stand  and 
look  on  while  the  butcher  (having  made  those  women 
first  pay  for  the  entire  weight)  trims  off  the  fat,  and  cuts 
out  the  bone,  and  throws  this  valuable  food  in  a  box 
under  the  counter  to  be  sold  again ;  and  yet  these  women 
know  that  the  bone  is  good  for  soup  and  the  fat  for 
frying.  Why  do  they  do  it?  Indifference  and  laziness. 
What  the  butcher  cuts  off  is  yours,  ask  him  for  it. 

Another  rule  to  carry  to  market  is :  don't  buy  in  small 
quantities.  Space  is  valuable,  and  storage  place  is  sadly 
lacking  in  most  homes,  but  many  buy  five  cents'  worth  of 
this,  ten  cents'  worth  of  that,  because  no  thought  has 
been  given  to  using  what  space  there  is. 


H2      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Glass  jars  take  up  very  little  room ;  they  cost  only  from 
five  to  twenty-five  cents  each,  and  they  last  forever.  Put 
a  shelf  in  the  kitchen;  and  on  it  a  row  of  one  and  two 
quart  jars,  each  holding  a  dry  grocery;  and  you  have 
added  to  the  beauty  of  your  kitchen,  you  have  saved 
money  by  making  it  possible  to  buy  in  quantity,  and  you 
have  saved  the  labor  of  running  out  overy  day  for  the 
flour,  sugar,  coffee  and  staple  articles  that  should  always 
be  in  the  house. 

Don't  try  to  buy  cheaper  than  the  market  price.  If 
butter  is  selling  for  forty-one  cents  a  pound,  and  you  can 
buy  it  for  thirty  cents,  there  is  something  the  matter  with 
the  butter.  When  you  think  you  buy  forty-five  cent  eggs 
for  twenty-five  cents,  you  don't ;  you  buy  only  twenty-five 
cent  eggs.  The  salesman  deceives  you  by  making  you 
believe  you  are  saving  money,  instead  of  telling  you  that 
you  are  paying  a  good  price  for  poor  eggs. 

In  some  shops  sugar,  flour,  rice,  etc.,  are  all  done  up  in 
pound  packages ;  "  to  save  time,"  you  are  told.  Have 
the  dry  groceries  you  buy  weighed  out  before  you.  It 
takes  a  little  more  of  your  time,  but  you  get  the  full 
weight  for  your  money.  When  you  buy  by  the  package, 
you  pay  for  paper  and  the  labor  of  packing.  One  half 
pound  of  loose  soda  crackers  has  thirty-five  crackers,  and 
costs  five  cents.  One  package  of  soda  crackers  has 
twenty-four  crackers  and  costs  five  cents.  You  sacrifice 
eleven  crackers  for  the  paper  package. 

Meat. 

To  buy  meat  to  the  best  advantage  a  girl  must  know 
the  different  cuts ;  which  ones  are  tough  and  which  are 
tender;  where  the  juicy  parts  lie;  what  the  proportion  of 
meat  is  to  bone  in  each  cut  and  why  the  quality  and 


MARKETING  113 

price  of  the  meat  is  different  in  one  part  from  another. 
This  knowledge  may  be  gained  by  a  careful  study  of  meat 
charts ;  by  asking  questions  of  those  who  know,  and  more 
than  all  else  by  going  to  market  and  learning  by  experi- 
ence. 

To  acquire  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  charts  given  in 
this  chapter  is  a  good  way  to  begin  the  study  of  meats. 


Location  of  the  Bones  in  the  Various  Cuts  of  Beef 


ai  to  a.%  neck;  02  to  03,  six  chuck  ribs;  03  to  04.  seven  prime  ribs; 
04  to  OT,  loin  or  porterhouse;  05  to  a6,  thick  or  hip  sirloin;  a6  to  a8,  rump 
piece;  117,  xvhere  rump  is  divided  into  top  and  tail  end:  c,  d,  shoulder- 
blade;  c,  e,  e,  e,  cross-rib-piece;  /.  g,  bones  in  shoulder  of  beef;  h,  sternum; 
i,  head  of  thigh-bone;  k,  socket;  /.  ball. 

Take,  first,  Fig.  3.  This  is  the  skeleton  of  beef.  The 
vertebrae  run  from  head  to.  tail.  Study  the  bones  in  the 
spine  with  the  help  of  the  text  underneath,  so  that  when 
you  see  those  bones  in  the  butcher  shop  you  will  know  at 
once  from  which  part  of  the  animal  each  cut  comes.  As 
the  beef  hangs  in  the  market  it  is  split  in  two  down  the 
back  bone.  Remember  this  when  you  try  to  locate  the 
bones  as  seen  in  the  picture.  See  Fig.  4. 


H4      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


Fig.  4.     Side  of  Beef  —  New  York  Method  of  Cutting 

a,  neck;  02  to  03,  six  chuck  ribs;  03  to  04,  seven  prime  ribs;  04  to  05, 
porterhouse  roasts  or  steaks;  05  to  a6,  thick  or  hip  sirloin;  06  to  07,  tail 
end  of  rump;  07  to  08,  top  of  rump;  ci8  to  ag,  round;  aio,  leg,  b,  top  of 
sirloin;  c,  flank;  d,  plate  piece;  e,  navel;  /,  /,  brisket;  g,  shoulder;  h,  cross- 
rib;  i,  shin. 


MARKETING  115 

A  careful  study  of  the  text  under  these  two  cuts  will 
give  you  a  clear  knowledge  of  where  the  porterhouse 
steak,  the  rib  roasts,  the  chuck,  the  round  steaks,  etc., 
come  from.  No  matter,  at  first,  about  the  cost;  learn 
only  the  location  of  the  various  cuts ;  be  familiar  with 
the  names,  and  learn  what  cuts  have  little  and  what  have 
much  bone. 

Now  pass  on  to  Fig.  5  and  again  study  the  different 
cuts;  this  time  with  thought  as  to  price  and  the  quality 
of  the  meat. 

This  book  quotes  prices  of  meats  in  normal  times. 


Fig.  5.  Diagram  of  Beef 

i,  rump  or  short  steak;  2,  round;  3,  loin;  4,  flank;  5.  leg;  6,  ribs;  7, 
chuck;  8,  neck;  9,  brisket;  10,  shoulder;  11,  navel;  12,  plate. 

The  cuts  of  beef  can  be  divided  into  three  qualities ;. 
first,  those  from  the  middle  of  the  back,  called  ribs. 
There  are  seven  of  these  ribs,  as  you  can  see  by  counting 
in  Fig.  3.  They  are  marked  6  in  Fig.  5.  Porterhouse, 
sirloin  and  Delmonico  steaks  are  cut  just  back  of  these 
ribs.  These  are  the  most  expensive  cuts;  in  New  York 


n6   THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

City  the  meat  costs  from  twenty-four  to  thirty  cents  a 
pound.  These  roasts  and  steaks  are  also  the  tenderest 
part,  because  they  are  the  least  muscular,  that  is  the  least 
exercised.  There  is,  as  you  will  see  in  Fig.  3,  a  great 
deal  of  bone  that  you  pay  for  when  you  buy  these  expen- 
sive cuts.  As  the  butcher  cuts  the  meat  from  nearer 
the  head  and  nearer  the  tail  he  charges  less.  Cuts  from 
these  parts  of  the  beef  are  the  second  quality.  Rump  and 
round,  marked  i  and  2  on  Fig.  5,  are  the  back  cuts,  and 
the  chuck  (marked  7)  is  the  part  near  the  head.  In  both 
of  these  extremities  the  meat  is  more  muscular.  Watch 
a  cow  moving  its  head  back  and  forth,  or  notice  the 
constant  motion  of  its  hind  legs,  and  you  will  see  at  once 
how  much  more  the  muscles  are  used  here  than  in  the 
back.  Although  this  makes  the  meat  less  tender  and 
therefore  cheaper,  we  find  in  these  second  quality  cuts 
less  bone  and  fat  than  in  the  rib ;  and  the  meat  has  more 
flavor,  and  is  juicier.  The  tenderness  is  gained  by  longer 
cooking.  The  chuck  and  round  make  excellent  rolled 
steaks  and  pot  roasts.  The  round  is  used  because  of  its 
juicy  quality  for  making  beef  broth,  beef  tea,  scraped 
beef  and  stew.  These  second  quality  cuts,  in  New  York, 
are  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  cents  a  pound. 

The  third  quality  is  the  toughest  meat ;  that  on  the 
legs,  that  part  below  the  neck  called  the  brisket  (marked 
9  on  Fig.  5)  and  the  meat  on  the  belly,  called  the  navel 
and  plate  (n  and  12  on  the  chart).  From  the  neck 
we  get  good  stew  meat,  beef  for  broiling  and  mince 
meat.  The  brisket,  navel  and  flank  are  often  put  into 
brine  and  sold  as  corned  beef..  The  heavy  part  under  the 
ribs'  is  sold  too  for  stew  meat  and  pot  roasts.  The  price 
of  this  meat  is  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  cents  a  pound. 
It  is  from  the  legs  or  shin  as  it  is  called,  that  much  of  the 
good  soup  meat  comes ;  the  bone  adding  to  the  flavor  be- 


MARKETING 


117 


cause  of  the  marrow  inside  and  the  gelatin  from  the  tissue. 
This  shin  or  soup  meat  costs  sixteen  cents  for  the  meat, 
not  counting  bone  which  is  thrown  in. 

Every  part  of  the  animal  is  utilized.  The  bone  which 
is  not  used  in  our  kitchens  is  ground  into  manure  or 
turned  into  numerous  articles ;  the  skin  is  made  into 
eather,  the  ears  and  hoofs  into  glue;  the  hair  is  mixed 
with  mortar ;  and  the  horns  are  cut  and  molded  into 
spoons  and  other  useful  articles. 


Fig.  6.    Lamb 

i,  leg;  2,  ribs  and  loin;  3,  flank;  4,  chuck;  4^,  neck;  5,  breast;  6, 
shoulder. 

Mutton  or  Lamb. 

This  meat  is  called  lamb  if  the  animal  is  less  than  a 
year  old,  after  the  year  it  is  called  mutton.  The  first 
eight  ribs  on  a  lamb  are  what  we  call  mutton  chops,  next 
to  these  rib  chops  and  nearer  the  tail  are  the  loin  chops. 
(These  rib  and  loin  parts  are  marked  2  in  Fig.  6.)  The 


n8      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


loin  mutton  chops  are  what  in  beef  we  call  steaks;  they 
are  better  to  buy  than  the  ribs  because  there  is  more 


Fig.  7.     Mutton 

i,   leg;    2,    ribs   and   loin;    3,   flank;    4,   chuck;    4^,    neck;    5,   breast;    6. :• 
shoulder. 


MARKETING 


119 


meat  in  comparison  with  the  bone.  When  the  thin  bones 
of  the  rib  chops  are  trimmed  they  are  called  French  chops. 
The  leg  is  the  most  economical  cut  of  mutton  be- 
cause there  is  so  little  waste.  The  shoulder  makes  a 
good,  cheap  roast  for  a  large  family.  Roasts,  stew  and 
pot  pie  meat  are  cut  from  the  shoulder,  the  chuck  and  the 
flank. 


Fig.  8.     Pork 

i,    ham;    2,   flank;    3,   loin;   4,    brisket;    5,    ribs;    6,   shoulder; 
head;   9,  head. 


neck;  8, 


Pork. 

Pork  is  the  flesh  of  the  hog.  Pork  is  more  apt  to  be 
diseased  than  any  other  meat  and  the  ways  to  know 
healthy  pork  from  unhealthy  should  be  known  to  every 
housewife.  Pork  should  be  cooked  a  long  time  and  it  is 
a  good  rule  not  to  buy  pork  in  hot  weather. 

The  quality  of  the  meat  depends  upon  many  things ; 
age  of  the  animal,  kind  of  food  eaten  by  the  hog,  the 
way  the  meat  is  prepared  for  market  and  the  length  of 
time  it  has  hung  after  being  killed  and  dressed.  The 
dirty  food  which  many  pigs  eat  is  the  chief  reason  for  the 
bad  meat  which  we  must  avoid  in  buying  pork. 


120      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


Fig.  9.     Pork 

i,  ham;   2,  flank;   3,  loin;  4,  brisket;   5,  ribs;   6,  shoulder;  7,  neck;  8, 
head;   9,  head. 

A  large  part  of  the  hog  is  too  fat  to  eat  fresh,  and 
that  part  has  to  be  salted  down  and  sold  as  salt  pork. 


MARKETING  121 

As  in  the  case  of  beef  and  mutton  the  ribs  and  loin  are 
the  best  cuts.  These  are  marked  3  and  5  in  the  Figs.  8 
and  9.  When  ready  for  the  table  we  know  these  cuts  as 
pork  chops  and  roast  pork. 

The  shoulder,  marked  6  on  the  charts,  is  often  used 
fresh  for  roasting  and  boiling. 

Ham  comes  from  the  leg ;  and  bacon  is  pork  which  has 
been  salted  and  smoked  as  well.  The  brisket,  in  the  belly 
of  the  hog,  is  the  meat  used  most  often  for  this  salting 
process. 

Salt  pork  is  made  from  the  flank,  the  head,  the  bris- 
ket. Any  of  the  fat  part  of  the  hog  can  be  salted  down 
and  sold  as  salt  pork. 

Sausages  are  made  from  pork ;  sometimes  in  combina- 
tion with  beef  or  veal.  It  is  very  easy  to  put  any  left- 
over scraps  into  sausages;  the  only  way  one  can  be  sure 
that  one  is  getting  good  meat  is  to  have  confidence  in  the 
sausage  maker. 

How  to  Know  Good  Meat  from  Bad. 

Only  by  experience  can  the  odor  of  bad  meat  be  de- 
tected. No  teacher  can  convey  by  words  the  difference 
between  a  fresh  and  stale  odor. 

Good  beef  is  firm,  fine-grained,  bright  red  in  color, 
moist,  juicy.  The  fat  is  light  straw  color,  the  suet  white, 
firm,  dry  and  crumbly. 

.  Bad  beef  is  coarse  meat,  flabby,  dark  in  color.   '  The 
fat  is  dark  yellow.     The  suet  oily  and  fibrous. 

Diseased  pork  has  a  dull  appearance,  with  yellowish 
lumps  through  the  fat  and  lean. 

Fresh  pork  has  fat  which  is  firm,  clear,  and  white,  and 
the  lean  meat  is  pink. 

The  price  of  the  different  cuts  is  learned  from  daily 
experience,  trying  different  markets  until  you  feel  a  confi- 


122      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

dence  in  your  butcher.  Never  go  to  any  market  that  is 
not  clean.  Leave  any  butcher  that  allows  customer  or 
•employee  to  spit  on  the  floor. 

When  porterhouse  steak  sells  for  twenty-eight  cents  a 
pound,  round  steak  should  sell  for  about  twenty  cents,  and 
the  chuck  steak  in  the  cuts  just  back  of  the  neck  for  six- 
teen cents.  In  buying  the  chuck  ribs  for  ten  cents,  you 
buy  more  than  one-half  bone.  In  the  round,  one-twelfth 
is  waste,  and  in  the  expensive  porterhouse  cuts  one-eighth. 
Of  course,  every  girl  knows  that  bone  and  fat  are  not 
really  waste,  but  they  are  worth  only  seven  cents  a  pound 
not  twenty-five  cents.  It  is  well,  therefore,  to  know  just 
the  proportion  of  twenty-five  cent  meat  and  of  seven  cent 
bone  and  fat  that  you  are  paying  full  price  for.  Never 
forget  that  when  you  buy  expensive  meat  you  get  less 
nourishment  for  your  money  than  in  other  food.  Such 
foods  as  eggs,  milk,  peas,  beans,  fish,  cheese,  give  you 
the  nourishment  at  less  cost.  Remember  that  a  cheap  cut 
of  meat  cooked  slowly  has  more  flavor  than  an  expensive 
•cut  cooked  quickly. 

The  best  way  to  reduce  the  meat  bill  is  to  cut  down  the 
-amount  of  meat.  It  is  never  necessary  to  have  meat 
•oftener  than  once  a  day.  Other  foods  can  be  substituted. 
Meat  also  may  be  used  in  combination  with  vegetables  and 
•dough  as  in  meat  and  vegetable  pie ;  or  in  combination 
with  cereal,  as  in  baked  rice  and  meat ;  thus  the  flavor  of 
the  meat  is  extended  through  a  larger  amount  of  food 
than  merely  the  meat  itself. 

Another  way  to  get  a  better  value  for  our  meat  money 
is  to  buy  intelligently,  getting  cuts  that  have  flavor  and 
little  waste  and  not  to  pay  so  much  for  the  tenderness  of 
the  meat. 

Depend  on  long  cooking,  and  as  has  been  said,  use  every 
-.scrap  of  fat  and  bone  that  is  paid  for.  Meat  is  one  of 


MARKETING  123 

the  most  expensive  items  in  the  family  food  bill.  It  will 
pay  to  give  much  study  as  to  how  to  reduce  this  steady 
drain  on  the  income  and  still  satisfy  the  family  taste  and 
give  the  necessary  nourishment. 

Fish. 

When  you  think  of  buying  fish,  Friday,  very  likely, 
comes  to  your  mind,  but  you  can  buy  better  fish  and 
cheaper  fish  on  other  days  than  Friday,  when  the  demand 
is  less.  Learn  to  appreciate  the  value  of  fish.  It  does 
not  contain  all  the  nutritive  value  of  meat,  but  it  is  a  good 
substitute.  Buy  fish  from  a  fish  dealer  you  can  trust. 
If  he  cuts  off  the  head,  fins,  etc.,  make  him  give  them  to 
you  if  you  have  paid  for  their  weight.  These  fish  trim- 
mings are  good  for  chowder. 

Left-over  fish  can  be  made  into  a  dozen  good  dishes, 
so  it  is  more  economical  to  buy  a  good-sized  whole 
fish,  and  to  make  it  last  for  two  days,  rather  than  to 
buy  a  small  fish  that  is  just  enough;  there  will  be  more 
meat  to  the  amount  of  waste  in  the  larger  fish.  If  the 
fish  is  cleaned  at  the  fish  dealer's,  watch  to  see  that  it  is 
cleaned  thoroughly.  Above  all,  learn  to  tell  fresh  fish 
from  stale.  In  a  fresh  fish  the  eyes  are  bright,  the  gills 
red,  the  flesh  firm  and  without  odor,  the  fins  firm  and 
erect. 

In  a  stale  fish  the  flesh  is  not  firm,  it  has  an  odor,  and 
after  being  cooked  is  watery  rather  than  creamy,  and  is  of 
a  bluish  appearance  rather  than  white.  To  test  a  fish,  put 
it  in  water ;  like  an  egg,  it  will  sink  if  it  is  fresh,  and  float 
if  it  is  not. 

It  is  very  dangerous  to  eat  fish  that  is  not  perfectly 
fresh.  Buy  fish  in  their  different  seasons,  if  you  would 
have  them  fresh.  Fish  out  of  season  is  kept  in  cold 
storage. 


124      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Fish  Seasons. 

January  to  June   Shad 

September  to  March Oysters 

June  to  September Smelts 

May  to  September Mackerel 

May  to  October Bluefish 

All  the  year Cod,  Haddock  and  Halibut 

A  reliable  fish  dealer  will  tell  you  what  fish  is  fresh 
and  in  season.  Ask  before  buying.  Don't  buy  frozen 
salmon  and  pay  a  high  price,  when  you  can  buy  fresh 
cod  for  less  than  half  the  price.  Haddock  is  a  good, 
cheap  fish  for  frying ;  it  is  firmer  than  cod.  In  buying  a 
fish  for  boiling  have  the  fish  as  firm  as  possible. 

Buying  Vegetables  and  Fruit. 

Vegetables,  like  fish,  should  be  bought  when  in  season, 
for  what  we  want  is  freshness.  You  can  read  book  after 
book  on  the  subject  of  vegetables,  and  the  writers  will 
tell  you  to  "  cook  the  vegetables  the  day  they  are  picked." 
In  our  large  cities  it  is  hard  always  to  buy  these  newly 
picked  vegetables;  but  try  for  freshness. 

Potatoes,  onions,  cabbage,  beets,  carrots,  spinach,  tur- 
nips, we  have  all  the  year.  Corn  —  June  to  November ; 
cucumbers,  peas,  squash,  string  beans  through  the  summer 
months;  asparagus,  March  to  June. 

As  you  go  to  the  vegetable  market  day  after  day,  you 
will  become  as  familiar  with  the  different  vegetable  sea- 
sons as  a  country  girl  is  with  the  times  of  the  year  in 
which  the  daisies,  the  violets  and  the  wild  roses  come. 

Another  thing  that  is  an  important  part  of  buying  vege- 
tables is  to  learn  how  much  to  buy.  For  example,  peas 
in  the  pod,  squash  that  boils  down  seemingly  to  nothing, 
are  deceiving.  The  following  list  will  be  a  guide,  but  ex- 
perience is  the  best  teacher : 


MARKETING  125 

Asparagus,  I  bunch  will  serve  four  people. 
Cabbage,  a  good,  solid  one,  will  serve  eight  people. 
Cauliflower  will  serve  six  people. 
Carrots,  i  small  bunch  will  serve  four  people. 
Onions,  I  qt.  will  serve  four  to  six  people. 
Peas,  i  qt.  will  serve  four  people. 
String  beans,  I  qt.  will  serve  four  people. 
Tomatoes,  I  qt.,  5  to  qt.,  will  serve  six  people. 

Greens  and  salads  should  be  crisp,  and  should  have  no 
appearance  of  decay  or  of  being  bruised  or  wilted. 

Cabbage  and  cauliflower  should  look  solid  and  have 
no  discoloration.  Don't  buy  very  large  or  very  small 
vegetables ;  there  is  much  waste  in  the  small  ones,  and  the 
large  ones  have  lost  some  of  their  best  taste. 

A  good  pumpkin  and  a  good  winter  squash  will  be  dark 
in  color,  also  heavy  and  hard. 

These  are  only  a  few  hints;  the  rest  every  girl  must 
learn  by  marketing,  not  hurriedly  or  in  a  spirit  of  indif- 
ference, but  going  to  market  just  as  she  goes  to  school,  to 
learn  something. 

A  business  man  would  not  think  of  buying  goods  until 
by  feeling,  looking  and  testing  these  goods  in  every  way, 
he  knew  the  value  of  what  he  was  buying ;  and  yet  a 
woman  will  go  to  market  and  take  anything  the  butcher 
or  the  grocer  gives  her. 

Above  all,  go  to  market  yourself.  Do  not  order  by 
telephone. 

- 


CHAPTER  X 
DIVISION  OF  INCOME 

Division  of  Income. 

What  is  income  ? 

The  dictionary  says  "  income  is  the  money  which  comes 
in  to  a  person  as  payment  for  labor  or  services,  or  as  gain 
from  business,  land,  or  investment." 

Leisure  and  a  sense  of  freedom  in  the  home  are  de- 
pendent on  income,  plus  the  intelligence  of  the  house- 
keeper. The  income  of  an  ordinary  family  is  what  is  paid 
the  father  each  week  for  his  labor,  or  what  he  makes 
from  his  store  or  office ;  and  added  to  this,  is  such  money 
as  the  mother  or  children  may  earn  by  their  individual 
labor. 

Sometimes  money  is  invested,  that  is  stocks  or  bonds 
or  mortgages  are  bought,  and  from  these  interest  comes 
in  once  or  twice,  or  sometimes  four,  times  a  year;  this 
interest  is  income. 

At  times  an  income  may  be  increased  by  renting  rooms 
in  the  home  to  outside  persons.  All  this  money  added 
together  makes  up  the  family  income. 

Why  is  it  necessary  to  divide  one's  income  before 
spending  it?  Why  must  one  plan  how  to  spend  it  be- 
forehand? Because  certain  expenditures  are  more  nec- 
essary than  others.  We  divide  the  income  so  that  we  do 
not  rob  the  absolutely  necessary  output  and  use  the  money 
for  luxuries.  What  we  call  luxuries  are  things  we  can 
live  and  be  happy  without. 

126 


DIVISION  OF  INCOME  127 

Statistical  experts  have  taken  hundreds  of  family  in- 
comes and  have  calculated  what  part  or  what  percentage 
of  these  incomes  should  be  spent  for  food,  what  per- 
centage for  rent,  what  amount  for  clothes,  etc.  Restau- 
rants, stores  and  hotels  are  run  in  this  way.  Experi- 
ence has  shown  that  the  man  or  woman  in  charge  of  a 
restaurant  will  probably  not  succeed  if  he  spends  more 
than  43  per  cent,  of  his  income  for  food ;  28  per  cent,  for 
cooks  and  waitresses,  or  what  is  called  labor;  and  nl/2 
per  cent,  for  rent  and  all  other  necessary  expenses.  The 
percentage  must  stay  the  same  whether  the  restaurant 
makes  little  or  much  money ;  that  is,  let  us  say  that  a  man 
decides  that  he  will  pay  out  for  expenses  82^  per  cent, 
of  what  comes  in  and  no  more  and  have  a  profit  of  171/2 
per  cent.  If  he  takes  in  $100  a  week,  $82.50  will  go  to 
buy  food,  pay  the  cook  and  the  other  necessary  charges. 
If  he  has  a  larger  restaurant  and  takes  in  $1000  a  week,  he 
can  have  better  food,  more  people  to  work  for  him  but 
the  percentage  is  still  the  same ;  he  still  should  pay  out 
about  five-sixths  of  what  he  takes  in. 

Now,  we  should  run  our  homes  in  much  the  same  way ; 
a  good  housekeeper  is  an  executive  officer,  an  account- 
ant. She  knows  sanitation  and  hygiene;  is  a  household 
physician  and  a  nurse,  she  should  have  a  social  sense  so  as 
to  make  her  family  and  guests  feel  at  ease  and  happy. 

As  a  family's  income  increases,  the  percentage  for  food, 
rent,  fuel,  the  actual  necessities  of  life,  becomes  smaller. 
That  is,  if  a  man  gets  $20  a  week,  he  spends  (or  should 
spend)  about  $13.50  for  food,  rent  and  heat.  If  he  gets 
$25  a  week,  he  spends  about  the  same  for  these  necessi- 
ties, but  has  more  money  for  clothes,  education,  recrea- 
tion and  health.  The  division  of  an  income  differs  in  dif- 
ferent places.  Rents  in  large  cities  are  twice  as  high  as  in 
small  towns.  Fuel  in  the  country  is  less  than  in  the 


128      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

city.  Carfare  is  an  important  item  of  expense  to  a  man 
in  the  suburbs.  The  division  of  income  discussed  in  this 
chapter  is  that  of  the  average  city  family  living  in  an 
apartment  or  small  house. 

There  are  wealthy  people  who  do  not  bother  to  divide 
their  income  before  spending  it;  but  even  rich  people 
should  make  this  division.  Some  of  them  put  into  their 
budget  (that  is,  their  calculations)  a  certain  percentage 
which  is  to  be  given  away.  Many  families  fail  to  live 
well,  not  because  they  have  not  enough  money  coming  in, 
but  because  they  do  not  calculate  before  spending  it  how 
this  income  can  be  divided  to  the  best  advantage. 

It  is  usually  the  woman,  the  housewife,  the  mother  in 
the  home,  who  manages  the  expenditures ;  and  the  girls 
who  study  this  book  are  the  housewives  of  the  future. 
An  orderly  mind  in  this  matter  of  money  and  how  to  spend 
it,  is  what  is  lacking  in  nearly  all  homes.  To  have  this 
clear  sense  of  order  in  household  management,  several 
things  are  necessary : 

First.  A  woman  must  feel  within  herself  the  ability 
to  do  every  kind  of  housework  perfectly  with  her  own 
hands.  This  gives  a  consciousness  of  power  and  does 
away  with  the  feeling  of  confusion  that  often  comes 
from  facing  tasks  of  which  one  is  not  the  master.  This 
power  should  belong  to  the  woman  with  servants,  as  wdll 
as  to  one  who  does  her  own  housework.  A  servant  is 
an  employee  of  the  housekeeper,  who  is  the  employer. 
The  agreement  between  them  is  a  business  contract.  The 
servant  sells  so  many  hours  of  her  time  for  work.  These 
hours  should  be  as  definitely  understood  as  the  working 
day  of  any  clerk  or  laborer. 

Second.  Be  a  good  buyer.  Forty-three  per  cent,  of 
the  average  small  income  goes  out  for  food.  Do  not  add 
to  expense  by  demanding  unnecessary  deliveries. 


DIVISION  OF  INCOME  129 

• 

Third.  Know  food  values,  so  that  you  will  not  spend 
25  per  cent,  for  water  and  waste,  and  only  18  per  cent, 
for  nourishment.  Make  your  money  buy  just  as  much 
as  possible  of  the  food  that  makes  bone  and  tissue  and 
good  red  blood. 

Fourth.  She  must  make  the  most  of  the  food  pur- 
chased, bringing  out  all  the  flavor  and  assuring  its  digesti- 
bility. She  will  never  waste  any  left-over  food. 

Fifth.  She  must  be  an  expert  at  sewing  and  mending 
and  making  over  clothes.  A  woman  living  on  a  small 
income  who  cannot  sew,  will  never  clothe  her  family  well 
on  the  allowed  one-tenth  of  her  income.  She  must  darn 
the  stockings  when  the  holes  are  small.  Sew  on  a  button 
when  it  first  conies  off;  buttons  cost  very  little  and  take 
little  time  to  sew  on.  She  must  be  able  to  make  children's 
garments. 

Sixth.  A  simply  furnished,  orderly  house  is  the  ex- 
pression of  a  good  housekeeper.  When  you  visit  a  house 
where  there  is  a  place  for  everything  and  everything  is 
in  its  place,  you  know  at  once  that  the  housewife  has  a 
good  business  mind. 

There  is  one  article  of  furniture  that  is  almost  a  neces- 
sity if  accounts  are  to  be  kept;  that  is,  a  desk  or  table  for 
writing,  and  a  drawer  in  which  to  keep  papers.  A  kitchen 
table  with  a  drawer,  and  with  square  legs,  makes  a 
good  desk.  Make  an  alcohol  stain  by  mixing  wood  alco- 
hol with  Aniline  stain  until  you  have  the  desired  color. 
If  Aniline  stain  is 'too  expensive  take  %  turpentine,  % 
linseed  oil  and  a  little  drier ;  to  this  add  the  required  color 
in  any  dry  stain.  Stain  the  entire  table  with  this.  After 
it  is  thoroughly  dry,  rub  with  a  soft  cloth  and  wax 
with  any  floor  wax  or  common  beeswax.  Make  a 
rack  for  the  back  of  the  desk  to  hold  bills,  papers,  etc., 
as  seen  in  the  picture  on  page  49.  Have  a  tray  to  hold 


130      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

pens  and  pencils,  a  glass  inkwell  that  can  be  washed 
and  a  large  blotter.  This  desk,  completely  equipped, 
will  make  it  easier  to  keep  the  family  accounts ;  no  one  is 
likely  to  keep  household  accounts  well  if  the  materials  to 
work  with  are  not  on  hand.  Remember,  no  work  is  ac- 
complished without  thought  and  labor.  On  the  desk  have 
a  small  card  catalogue  with  all  receipts;  not  for  cooking 
only  but  for  the  different  methods  of  improving  house- 
work. 

From  now  on  we  will  imagine  five  people  when  we 
speak  of  a  family :  father,  mother,  and  three  children. 
Each  family  has  its  own  standard  of  living.  For  in- 
stance, a  family  paying  $15  a  month  for  rent  has  dif- 
ferent food,  different  clothes,  lives  in  a  different  way 
from  the  famfl'^spending  $100  a  month  for  rent.  Not  un- 
til the  income  is  more  than  $2000  a  year  does  the  style  of 
living  change  much ;  then  the  standard  of  living  is  dif- 
ferent in  every  department.  In  the  household  of  small 
income,  women  work  and  the  object  is  to  buy  the  ne- 
cessities of  life  ;  in  the  one  of  large  income,  it  is  possible  to 
buy  sufficient  food  to  nourish  thoroughly  every  member 
of  the  family ;  to  provide  a  shelter  that  gives  each  person 
enough  room  to  sleep  and  eat  and  live  comfortably,  to 
buy  clothes  enough  to  keep  the  body  warm ;  to  secure  an 
education  for  the  children  beyond  the  compulsory  age  of 
fourteen ;  and  to  have  enough  money  over  for  recreation. 
For  an  income  to  be  adequate  there  must  be  some  money 
for  recreation  (perfect  health  is  seldom  possible  without 
this  contrast  from  work)  and  a  little  money  to  put  away 
against  possible  sickness.  If  there  is  not  this  possibility 
of  saving,  the  wage-earners  worry,  and  worry  is  like 
poison ;  it  saps  one's  strength. 

What  is  the  lowest  living  wage  for  a  family  of  five? 
What  is  the  leasi  on  which  a  family  can  be  healthy  and 


DIVISION  OF  INCOME 


keep  out  of  debt?  Different  writers  give  different  fig- 
ures ;  $1040  a  year,  or  $20  a  week,  is  the  lowest  living- 
income  affording  any  comfort.  So,  in  learning  how  to 
divide  the  money  that  a  family  spends,  we  will  take  this 
sum. 

In  studying  division  of  income  select  either  pads  or  en- 
velopes as  your  method.  If  the  pad  method  is  selected, 
use  sheets  like  the  sample  given  below.  Have  extra 
sheets  to  allow  for  mistakes.  Mistakes  will  be  made  at 
first,  and  a  girl  will  have  to  go  over  the  work  again  and 
again. 

Weekly  Expense  Account. 
For  the  week  ending — 


Day  of 
the 
Month 

20 
per 
cent 

| 

j 

43 
per 
cent 

1 

5 

per 
cent 

!» 

$ 

10 
per 
cent 

£ 

0 
1 

4 

per 
cent 

"'I 

\ 

2 
per 
cent 

$  * 

16 
per 
cent 

| 

100 
per 
cent 

•a 

§ 

t— 

! 

Savings 
forward  $ 

Deficit 



Hon. 





Tues. 

Wed. 



Thurs. 







To  reckon  per- 
centage  multiply 
the  total  sum  to 
expend  by   the 
per  cent,thus,43% 
per  cent)  of  $20. 
a    week,    is    .43 
times  $20.    $8.60 

.43 
20 

Frl. 

Sat. 



Sun. 

Total  Receipts  $  
Expenses  $  
Savings   $ 

8.60 

With  an  income  of  not  more  than  $1100  a  year,  43  per 
cent.,  or  nearly  one-half,  should  be  spent  for  food;  only 


132      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

20  per  cent,  for  rent  (so  if  the  income  is  $20  a  week  the 
rent  of  the  apartment  should  not  be  more  than  $17.33 
a  month).  Only  5  per  cent,  of  the  income  should  be 
spent  for  coal  and  gas,  10  per  cent,  for  clothes,  and  so 
on.  If  you  use  the  pad  system  —  work  out  for  yourself 
how  the  income  should  be  divided.  There  should  be 
fifty-two  sheets  in  each  pad,  one  for  every  week  in  the 
year.  Each  sheet  is  divided  into  columns  giving  the  per- 
centage of  the  income  allowed  for  each  household  ex- 
pense, and  each  column  is  divided  into  spaces  for  the  days 
of  the  week.  In  the  lower  right-hand  corner  is  shown 
how  to  reckon  percentage.  At  the  head  of  each  column 
is  a  dollar  mark.  Reckon  for  yourself  how  much,  with 
a  certain  income,  should  be  spent  for  each  item,  and  then 
see  how  nearly  you  have  approached  this  at  the  end  of  the 
week. 

Besides  the  pad  an  account  book  should  be  always  at 
hand.  No  matter  where  you  go,  take  your  account  book 
with  you  (a  penny  blank  book  will  do),  and  make  an  entry 
in  it  every  time  you  spend  money  for  carfare,  marketing, 
clothes,  rent,  etc.  Put  down  the  amount  you  spend  and 
what  you  spend  it  for.  At  the  end  of  each  day  enter  the 
total  of  each  expenditure  on  your  pad.  For  example 
here  is  an  account  for  a  day  —  say  Monday : 

Bread $  .05 

Potatoes  and  fruit 20 

Gas  (quarter  meter) 25 

Shoes  mended 50 

New  pail 25 

Carrots    05 

Soup  meat 10 

Sugar  • 05 

Milk 07 


DIVISION  OF  INCOME  133 

Moving  pictures $  .15 

Carfare   10 

Coal  20 

Month's  rent   I7-33 

That  evening  write  in  the  rent  column  of  your  pad  after 
Monday  $4.00;  for  although  you  pay  by  the  month,  a 
monthly  rent  of  $17.33  comes  to  $4.00  a  week.  Your 
food,  on  Monday,  added  together  comes  to  $.52 ;  gas  and 
fuel  $.45  ;  clothing  (that  would  include  the  mending  of 
shoes)  $.50.  Recreation  (that  takes  in  carfare  and  recre- 
ation) is  $.25  The  new  pail  for  $.25  will  go  in  the 
sundries  column. 

After  the  entries  have  been  made  for  the  whole  week, 
add  all  the  expenditures  together  and  see  how  far  the 
amount  expended  exceeds  what  you  allowed  yourself.  If 
it  comes  to  more  than  it  should,  put  the  amount  under 
deficit,  and  try  to  cut  down  expenses  until  the  amount 
has  been  made  up. 

Every  girl  who  has  the  care  of  the  house  expenditures 
should  realize  the  need  of  some  system. 

If  the  envelope  method  of  keeping  accounts  is  selected, 
get  stout  manila  envelopes  for  the  purpose.  There  should 
be  seven  envelopes.  At  the  top  of  one  write  "  Rent,"  on 
another,  "  Food,"  then  "  Light  and  Fuel,"  "  Clothing," 
"  Insurance,"  "  Recreation,"  "  Extras."  If  other  divisions 
are  more  convenient,  they  can  be  used ;  these  are  merely 
suggestions.  In  each  envelope  put  the  amount  of  the 
week's  wages  that  can  be  spent  for  that  especial  account, 
calculating  on  the  same  percentage  basis  that  was  used 
with  the  pads.  When  any  member  of  the  family  takes 
money  out  of  one  of  the  envelopes,  he  or  she  must  put  in 
its  place  a  slip  of  paper  on  which  is  written  the  amount 
taken  out,  the  name  of  the  person  drawing  it,  and  the  item 


134      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

for  which  it  is  spent.  At  the  end  of  the  week  there 
should  be  in  each  envelope  either  the  money  or  the  slip 
accounting  for  the  money.  On  the  outside  of  the  en- 
velope, the  expenses  for  each  day  may  be  entered  to  be 
added  together  at  the  end  of  the  week.  If  the  money  in 
the  envelope  marked  "  Clothes  "  is  insufficient,  you  may 
have  to  borrow  from  the  envelope  marked  "  Food,"  but  in 
that  case  enter  the  loan  on  a  slip  and  pay  back  the 
"  Food  "  envelope  next  week. 

When  a  woman  knows  how  much  money  she  can  spend 
she  will  not  spend  more,  if  her  house  is  run  like  a  busi- 
ness. 


CHAPTER  XI 
FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES 

Sensible  Diet. * 

"  Why  do  we  need  advice  in  regard  to  what  we  eat? 
Why  should  we  not  eat  what  we  want  when  we  want  it,  sa 
long  as  we  feel  well  ?  The  answer  is  that  we  are  not  sure 
that  because  we  feel  well  to-day  we  shall  continue  to  be 
well  ten  years  hence  when  the  result  of  our  diet  has  had 
its  effect  on  our  heart,  brain,  liver  or  kidneys. 

"  We  know  that  the  average  person  is  not  as  strong 
and  well  as  he  ought  to  be,  so  that  we  have  the  right  to 
consider  whether  there  is  not  possible  some  improvement 
in  our  food,  as  there  is  certainly  possible  an  improvement 
in  many  of  our  other  daily  habits.  Wise  men  have  been 
for  some  years  testing  the  results  of  food,  and  they  have 
found  out  how  an  improvement  in  health  is  possible. 

'  There  are  two  ways  of  treating  this  subject : 

"  First.  To  prepare  a  daily  list  of  foods,  and  to  ask 
you  to  have  faith  enough  to  believe  that  they  are  what  you 
ought  to  eat. 

"  Second.  To  outline  a  few  important  principles  in  re- 
gard to  food,  and  then  to  let  you  make  up  your  own  bill 
of  fare. 

"  In  this  chapter  we  shall  try  to  make  some  of  the  prin- 
ciples clear. 

"  The  practical  questions  that  confront  the  housewife 

1  A  part  of  this  chapter  is  rewritten  from  a  paper  by  Eugene 
Lyman  Fisk,  M.D.,  and  read  by  him  at  a  meeting  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  County  of  New  York. 

135 


136      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

are:  What  is  the  cheapest,  best-tasting,  most  digestible 
food  that  will  keep  a  family  in  the  highest  state  of  health? 
What  are  the  most  important  food  requirements  ?  What 
are  the  least  important? 

"  The  most  important  foods  for  the  human  body  are 
energy  foods.  These  energy  foods  are  called  carbon- 
aceous foods.  Just  as  coal,  the  simplest  form  of  carbon, 
is  fuel  for  a  steam  engine,  so  are  the  carbonaceous  foods 
fuel  for  the  human  engine.  Carbonaceous,  or  energy- 
giving  foods  are  sugar,  starches,  and  fats.  The  sugar 
and  starches  are  called  carbohydrates ;  the  fats  are  called 
hydrocarbons;  but  the  single  term  carbonaceous  covers 
all.  It  is  well  for  us  to  get  familiar  with  these  terms. 
For  the  average  human  body  about  six-tenths  of  the  heat 
or  fuel  needed  should  come  from  the  carbohydrates, 
namely,  sugar,  potatoes,  bread,  cereals,  and  vegetables. 
Three-tenths  should  come  from  hydrocarbons,  namely, 
fats,  butter,  oils,  milk  or  cream,  and  the  fat  of  meat, 
the  latter  the  least  desirable.  A  person  who  exercises  a 
good  deal,  or  works  very  hard,  needs  more  fuel  food  than 
one  who  does  very  little  with  his  body. 

"  The  least  important  foods  are  those  which  we  take  for 
the  purpose  of  building  up  or  repairing  the  body.  These 
are  the  nitrogenous,  or  protein  foods.  We  have  seen  that 
from  energy-giving  foods  we  should  get  six-tenths  plus 
three-tenths  of  our  needs.  This  leaves  one-tenth,  and 
that  one-tenth  should  come  from  what  are  called  proteins. 
Examples  of  these  are  the  lean  of  meat,  fish,  all  flesh 
foods,  white  of  eggs,  and  cheese.  Certain  vegetables  are 
also  rich  in  protein,  especially  peas,  beans,  and  lentils. 
There  is  protein  also  in  nuts,  cereals  and  bread.  These 
latter  foods  contain  both  elements,  heat  and  energy. 

"  Now,  after  a  skyscraper  has  been  built,  we  do  not 
keep  piling  brick  and  mortar  and  steel  girders  into  it.  A 


FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES  137 

certain  amount  of  wear  occurs,  and  a  limited  amount  of 
repair  material  is  needed  right  along.  So  it  is  with  the 
human  body.  The  body  having  been  built,  these  protein 
materials  are  needed  in  limited  quantities  for  mainte- 
nance ;  not  more  than  5  per  cent,  is  needed  for  growth. 
These  proteins  can  also  be  used  for  energy,  but  they  are 
an  expensive  source  of  energy;  just  as  oak  or  mahogany 
wood  is  an  expensive  fuel  to  burn  in  the  furnace.  If  the 
body  takes  in  too  much  protein  fuel,  the  intestines  become 
poisoned.  Careful  experiments  by  many  wise  men  in 
this  country  and  in  Europe  have  shown  that  we  can  have 
sound  health  and  strength  on  about  half  the  quantity  of 
protein  or  meat  foods  that  are  generally  eaten.  Increased 
muscular  work  does  not  call  for  more  meat,  but  for  more 
energy  food.  '  More  work  —  more  meat '  is  not  true. 
It  is  true  that  a  man  doing  hard  outdoor  exercise  can 
burn  up  greater  quantities  of  meat  or  protein  food  than 
a  man  working  quietly  in  the  house,  but  he  may  still 
poison  his  body,  and  the  meat  food  is  an  expensive  fuel 
from  a  financial  as  well  as  a  health  standpoint.  The 
homemaker,  for  these  reasons,  should  keep  herself  and 
her  family  from  too  much  of  this  class  of  foods.  There 
is  less  risk  of  injury  from  peas,  beans,  lentils,  eggs, 
cheese,  and  nuts  than  from  meat.  Such  foods  are  like- 
wise cheaper,  so  a  goodly  portion  of  the  protein  should  be 
got  from  food  other  than  meat.  Meat  makes  an  acid 
gas  in  the  intestines,  and  does  not  stimulate  them,  and 
they  are  apt  to  become  sluggish  and  not  throw  off  the 
poison  or  waste.  Meat,  fish,  or  eggs  once  a  day  will 
keep  one's  body  fairly  safe.  Many  people  keep  in  good 
health  without  any  meat,  but  until  we  know  more  about 
it,  it  is  well  to  keep  meat  in  our  dietary  so  long  as  it  is 
used  in  small  quantities. 

"  Other  important  elements  in  our  foods  are  the  fruit 


I38      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

and  vegetable  acids  and  alkaline  salts,  and  other  in- 
organic material  such  as  phosphorus  and  iron.  These 
elements  are  not  exactly  foods,  as  they  do  not  supply 
energy  and  are  little  needed  for  repairs,  although  they 
enter  into  the  bone,  teeth,  and  other  tissues,  and  are 
needed  for  growth  and  to  maintain  a  certain  chemical 
balance  in  the  blood  and  elsewhere.  Lack  of  these  ele- 
ments, especially  lime,  may  cause  serious  disease.  For 
this  reason,  we  must  eat  in  abundance  fruit  and  green 
vegetables.  These  keep  the  kidneys  active  and  the  blood 
healthy. 

"  As  to  arranging  a  dietary  with  the  above  to  guide  us, 
it  is  necessary  to  have  at  least  a  rough  idea  of  the  energy 
requirements  of  the  body.  This  is  measured  in  what  are 
called  calories.  Calory  means  a  definite,  easily  under- 
standable unit  of  measure.  Just  as  a  scuttle  of  coal  will 
produce  a  certain  amount  of  steam  pressure,  so  will  a  defi- 
nite quantity  of  food  produce  a  certain  amount  of  heat  or 
energy  when  burned  in  the  body, —  in  other  words,  when 
digested  and  absorbed.  The  body  is  losing  heat  con- 
stantly, and  this  heat  must  be  replaced  or  the  body  will 
grow  cold  and  the  internal  activities  will  stop. 

"  A  woman  weighing  155  pounds  requires  2900  calories 
a  day.  The  number  of  available  calories  in  the  various 
foods  have  been  determined  by  scientific  experiments. 

"  Nuts  are  high  in  protein  and  calorific  value  and  can  be 
substituted  for  meat  and  other  protein  foods,  but  they 
should  not  be  added  to  a  meal  already  rich  in  protein, 
such  as  an  ordinary  Christmas  or  Thanksgiving  dinner. 
Peanuts,  or  peanut  butter,  and  apples,  form  a  well-bal- 
anced ration  that  would  supply  the  body's  needs  at  small 
expense.  Macaroni  and  cheese  also  forms  a  well-bal- 
anced ration  of  protein,  carbohydrate,  and  fat.  Needless 


FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES  139 

to  say,  foods  must  be  made  digestible  by  cooking,  or  their 
calorific  value  is  lost. 

"  It  is  not  so  hard  to  think  in  calories  as  one  might  im- 
agine. Take  a  dinner  and  analyze  it, —  Roast  beef,  100 
calories,  Bread  150,  Butter  150,  Rice  Croquettes  128, 
Baked  Potatoes  100,  Bread  Pudding  128,  Sugar  (two 
lumns )  in  coffee  100.  Total  956,  about  one-third  of  the 
day's  requirements  in  calories.  This  meal  has  too  much 
protein,  but  the  balance  would  be  restored  by  lack  of 
protein  and  more  green  vegetables  and  fruit  at  the  other 
meals.  An  ordinary  portion  of  these  hearty  foods  aver- 
ages about  100  calories. 

"  When  one  is  working  hard,  the  portions  of  bread,  po- 
tatoes, butter,  and  rice  can  be  increased  and  will  easily 
raise  the  meal  to  the  energy  requirement,  without  the 
addition  of  a  protein  ration.  If  a  man  has  worked  hard 
and  is  hungry,  help  him  to  more  potatoes  and  vegetables, 
or  simple  pudding,  but  do  not  increase  the  meat  portions. 
Corn  bread  and  syrup  will  carry  him  far  on  a  cold  day, 
and  if  he  works  hard  he  will  burn  it  up  completely ;  there 
will  be  no  ashes,  as  in  the  case  of  meat  or  other  protein. 

:<  The  beacon  lights  I  would  hang  up  are  as  follows : 

11  To  keep  you  warm  and  give  you  energy  for  work,  eat 
energy  or  fuel  foods,  potatoes,  bread,  cereals,  corn  bread, 
syrup,  and  other  sugars. 

'  To  keep  your  muscles  and  organs  in  repair  eat  a 
limited  and  fixed  amount  of  repair  foods,  meats,  eggs, 
cheese,  nuts,  flesh  foods,  peas,  beans  and  lentils. 

"  Do  not  increase  the  repair  foods  with  increase  in  work 
or  exposure  to  cold;  increase  the  fuel  foods  for  further 
energy. 

"  Eat  fruit  every  day.  Canned  fruits  are  good. 
Cooked  fruit  is  often  better  than  fresh  fruit. 


140      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

"  Eat  green  vegetables  whenever  you  can  get  them. 
Thoroughly  wash  all  raw  foods. 

"  Have  plenty  of  bulky  vegetables  of  low  food  value, 
like  carrots,  parsnips,  spinach,  turnip,  squash  and  cab- 
bage to  stimulate  the  bowels  and  give  flavor  to  the  diet 
and  prevent  over-nourishment. 

"  Eat  slowly  and  taste  your  food  well,  and  it  will  slide 
down  at  the  proper  time. 

"  Do  not  let  any  one  bring  a  grouch  or  a  cross  feeling 
to  the  dinner  table;  it  will  upset  all  the  food  values." 

The  Day's  Food  for  a  man  doing  fairly  hard  muscular 
work: 

1^4  pounds  of  bread  or  i  pound  of  oatmeal,  corn  meal, 
rice,  etc. 

y\  cup  of  butter,  oil,  meat  drippings. 

y^  cup  of  sugar,  or  J/3  cup  of  honey  or  syrup. 

~L]/4  pounds  of  fresh  fruits  and  green  vegetables. 

12  ounces  of  meat  or  meat  substitutes ;  that  is,  poultry, 
fish,  eggs,  cheese,  dried  peas,  beans,  lentils  and 
nuts. —  Department  of  Agriculture. 

Protein. 

Protein  is  that  in  food  that  repairs  the  waste.  Just  as 
our  clothes  wear  out,  and  our  houses  and  our  furniture 
show  wear,  so  our  bodies  slowly  wear  away  and  need  new 
material  to  renew  their  loss.  Protein  food  is  needed  in 
the  case  of  children  for  growth. 

Carbohydrates. 

This  means,  the  starch  and  the  sugars  in  food.  The 
value  of  these  carbohydrate  foods  is  to  give  heat  and 
energy  to  our  body.  If  we  kept  our  body  in  repair  by 
eating  protein  foods  and  gave  it  no  carbohydrates  or 
energy  foods  we  would  be  as  useless  as  a  good  stove  with 


FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES          *  141 


Carbo- 
hydrates 

100.0 

Granulated  Sugar. 


no  fire  in  it.  Four-fifths  of  our  food  should  be  energy 
food,  just  as  we  spend  little  time  and  money  repairing 
the  stove  but  much  time  in  putting  in  coal. 

Fats. 

These  give  body  fuel  or  heat,  and  heat  that  can  be  stored 
away.  So  in  cold  countries  or  in  cold  weather,  the  body 
wants  more  fats  than  when  the  weather  is  warm. 

Water. 

One-half  of  the  weight  of  what  we  eat  is  water. 
Water  is  as  necessary  for  the  inside  of  our  bodies  as 
bathing  is  for  the  outside.  Water  helps  us  digest  our 
food ;  it  helps  carry  off  the  waste  matter  or  that  part  of 
the  food  that  our  bodies  cannot  use.  Besides  the  water 
that  is  a  part  of  food,  every  one  should  drink  at  least 
six  glasses  of  water  a  day. 

Minerals. 

The  minerals  in  food  purify  the  blood,  and  the  body, 
especially  bones  and  teeth,  need  these  minerals. 

Ash. 

This  is  the  part  of  food  that  is  left  to  pass  off  after  the 
body  has  taken  the  repair  property,  the  energy  and  heat, 


142      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

the  minerals,  and  all  that  the  body  needs  from  the  food. 
This  ash  must  not  remain  in  the  body  to  clog  the  circula- 
tion as  clinkers  and  ashes  clog  the  stove. 

A  calory  is  a  unit  of  heat  energy.     You   don't   eat 


-rWater: 
87.0 


•Protein : 


3.3 


Carbohydrates* 
5.0 


calories  any  more  than  you  eat  a  pound.     One  eats  food 
that  supplies  heat  or  calories  to  the  body. 

The  housekeeper  must  study  the  various  foods  and 
see  how  much  protein,  how  much  carbohydrates,  how 
much  water  are  in  the  foods  that  she  has  on  her  table  or 
sees  in  the  market  every  day.  What  should  she  buy  and 
cook  for  a  meal  to  get  about  %  energy  food  and  %  repair 
food? 

Milk. 

The  reason  small  children  can  live  on  milk  and  little 
else  is  because  in  milk  we  find  every  kind  of  food: 
protein,  starch,  fat,  sugar,  and  water.  Milk  is  called  a 
complete  food  because  it  contains,  more  than  any  other 
food  in  the  world,  everything  the  baby  needs. 


FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES  143 

Cereals. 

Cereals  are  the  fruit  or  seeds  of  grasses.     In  all  grasses 
there  is  laid  up  in  the  seed  a  storehouse  of  nourishment 


Water:  12. 
R-otein:  8: 


hydrates;  770 


Fat:  £.0 


Ash:  1.0 


for  the  young  plant  while  it  is  growing.  It  is  this  nour- 
ishing seed  we  eat  when  we  eat  oatmeal  or  other  cereals. 
There  is  in  cereals  about  10  per  cent,  or  12  per  cent,  of 
protein,  and  the  rest  is  starch,  fat  and  water.  When 
milk  and  sugar  are  eaten  with  cereal,  any  girl  can  see 
that  she  gets  a  great  deal  of  food-value  for  the  money 


Water:  10.6 
Protein: 

Carbo- 
hydrates: 


— Fat:U 


:  1.8 


paid.  About  four  cups  of  cereal  will  feed  six  per- 
sons for  one  meal  and  the  cost  is  about  twenty  cents,  in- 
cluding the  milk  and  sugar  eaten  with  it. 


144      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Bread. 

Bread  is  made  from  flour.  Flour  can  be  made  of  wheat, 
rye,  oats,  or  barley,  but  wheat  is  one  of  the  most  nutritious 
of  the  grains,  and  wheat  flour  is  the  most  popular  in  this 
country  from  which  to  make  bread.  Bread  is  called  the 
"  staff  of  life  "  because  it  contains  all  the  food  elements 
the  body  needs,  except  almost  no  fat.  Bread  contains 


Fat:  1.3 


wheat,  milk,  water,  and  sugar;  also  yeast,  which  makes 
it  light  and  digestible.  For  a  given  sum  one  can  obtain 
more  food-value  from  bread  than  from  any  other  food; 
for  it  is  %  solid  nourishment  and  only  %  water.  There 
are  no  animal  foods  and  few  cooked  vegetable  foods  of 
which  this  can  be  said.  But  no  one  would  want  to  live  on 
bread  alone,  as  a  child  lives  on  milk ;  one  would  have  to 
eat  four  pounds  of  bread  or  five  ordinary  five-cent  loaves 
to  acquire  enough  energy  to  get  through  the  day. 

Butter. 

Butter  is  eighty-five  per  cent,  pure  fat.  .  We  eat  fats  to 
give  heat  and  energy  to  the  body. 

Butter  is  an  expensive  fat.  Oil  and  lard  and  crisco  give 
us  the  heat  at  a  smaller  price. 


FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES  145 


WatenftJ 


Protein:  1.0 
Eggs. 

Eggs  contain  a  great  deal  of  protein  and  fat;  one  egg 
yields  as  much  energy  as  half  a  glass  of  milk.  But  eggs 
are  not  a  food  you  can  serve  all  alone,  any  more  than 
you  serve  meat  with  nothing  else.  Eight  eggs  are  equal 
to  one  pound  of  meat,  but  you  would  n't  feel  like  work- 
ing or  playing  even  if  you  ate  one  pound  of  meat  or 
eight  eggs  ;  it  would  be  too  much  protein  for  the  system  to 
take  care  of.  If  you  serve  eggs  on  toast  you  will  get  the 
needed  carbohydrates. 

Potatoes. 

A  potato  is  a  root  that  grows  under  the  ground.     On 


fat-.  0.1 


Protein:  £.2. 


Carbohydrates 

18.4- 


ater-,78.3 


its  surface  are  what  we  call  "  eyes."  If  a  potato  is  buried 
these  eyes  send  out  shoots.  Now,  an  ordinary  root  does 
not  have  these  eyes,  or  buds,  so  the  potato  is  really  a 


146      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

thick  underground  stem.  If  you  leave  the  potato  in  a 
dark,  warm  place,  it  will  send  out  shoots  exactly  as  it 
does  underground.  A  potato  is  not  good  to  eat  after  it 
has  begun  to  sprout,  because  much  of  the  nourishment 
has  gone  from  the  potato  to  feed  the  sprouts. 

It  is  now  about  three  hundred  years  since  the  potato  was 
introduced  into  this  country.  It  came  into  Europe  in 
about  1580  —  that  is,  more  than  three  hundred  and  thirty 
years  ago ;  but  the  people  in  Europe  thought  for  a  great 
many  years  that  the  potato  was  poisonous,  and  it  was 
not  until  a  time  when  the  crops  were  so  bad  that  the  peo- 
ple were  almost  starving  and  were  obliged  to  eat  the 
potato,  that  they  realized  their  mistake.  Since  that  time 
it  has  become,  more  and  more,  a  popular  article  of 
food. 

If  you  cut  a  potato  across  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  look 
at  the  cut  surface,  you  will  find  three  distinct  layers : 

First.  A  thin,  outer  skin.  This  outer  skin  contains  a 
poisonous  substance  called  solanine,  but  the  poison  in  the 
skin  is  destroyed  by  cooking.  It  is  because  of  this  poison 
in  the  skin  of  the  potato  that  the  water  in  which  it  is 
boiled  must  not  be  used  for  anything  else  but  must  be 
thrown  away.  This  is  not  true  of  the  water  that  other 
vegetables  are  cooked  in,  for  vegetable  water  as  a  rule  is 
very  useful  as  a  foundation  for  soups.  You  will  find  that 
a  good  housekeeper  always  keeps  vegetable  water  for 
soup-stock. 

Second.  Next  to  the  skin  is  a  broad  layer  which  dis- 
colors when  it  is  exposed  to  the  light.  If  we  allow  this 
discoloration  to  take  place  it  gives  the  potato  a  very  un- 
pleasant taste.  If  you  peel  a  potato  and  cannot  at  once 
boil  it,  see  that  it  is  kept  in  cold  water  until  you  are 
ready  to  put  it  into  boiling  water ;  but  do  not  let  a  potato 
soak  in  cold  water  unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  be- 


FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES 


147 


cause  while  it  is  soaking  it  will  be  losing  some  of  the  good 
mineral  salts  which  are  in  the  middle  layer  and  which  are 
a  part  of  the  food  value  which  we  wish  to  get  out  of  the 
potato.  These  minerals  help  to  build  up  the  tissues  of  the 
body.  It  has  been  found  that  we  would  die  within  a 
month  if  we  did  not  get  from  our  food  these  necessary 
minerals. 

Third.     The   flesh   of   the   potato   is   the    inner   part. 


PAR3KIJP 

Water-. 
83.0 


Vote,n:1.6  Carbohydrates.- 
fat-Q5 


rbo. 
rates:135 


ah:  1.4 


While  the  middle  layer  between  the  skin  and  the  flesh 
gives  us  the  mineral  matter  that  we  need,  the  center  gives 
the  starch  which  is  the  chief  food-value  in  the  potato. 
Starch  is  what  we  found  so  abundant  in  cereals,  but  in 
cereals  we  also  found  a  great  deal  of  protein ;  in  the  potato 
we  get  the  heat  and  energy  from  the  starch,  but  very  little 
of  the  protein  tissue-building  material.  Therefore,  po- 
tato alone  is  not  a  good  diet.  We  must  eat  with  the  po- 
tato meat  or  eggs,  or  we  must  cook  potatoes  with  a  milk 


148      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


sauce.     Then  we  get  the  needed  protein  from  the  meat, 
eggs,  or  milk  and  the  starch  from  the  potato. 

More  than  76  per  cent,  of  every  potato  is  water.  This 
water  we  have  found  is  very  necessary  to  our  bodies,  but 
it  is  not  what  we  call  food.  You  can,  therefore,  see  that 
only  24  per  cent,  of  a  potato  is  really  food,  and  all  the  rest 
is  water. 

Fresh  Vegetables. 

Most  vegetables  contain  only  a  small  amount  of  nutri- 
tive value.  The  ex- 
ceptions are  peas, 
beans,  and  lentils. 
But  although  you  may 
not  get  energy  out  of  Watery 
the  other  vegetables,  protein:  1.6" 
you  get  what  the  body 
needs  in  minerals. 
As  you  see  in  the  cuts 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  water  in  vegetables ;  also  there  are 
mineral  salts  and  vegetable  acids.  Our  intestines  need  a 
certain  amount  of  bulk  in  order  that  the  proper  action 
shall  take  place.  Vegetables  do  much  to  give  this  re- 
quired bulk. 


EDIBLE  PORTION 


Water:  84-.  6 


Carbohydrates-. 

of      fresh      fruit 


Fruit. 

There  is  not  much 
nourishment  in  fruit. 
We  eat  it  more  for 
the  sake  of  the  blood 
and  because  we  like 
the  sweetness.  From 
75  to  90  per  cent. 


is     water. 


FOODS  AND  THEIR  VALUES 


149 


Foods  and  Their  Values. 

GROUP  i. —  Foods  defended  on  for  mineral  matters,  vegetable 
acids,  and  body-regulating  substances. 


Fruits : 

Apples,  pears,  etc. 
Bananas. 
Berries. 
Melons. 

Oranges,  lemons,  etc. 
Etc. 


Vegetables : 

Salads  —  lettuce,  celery,  etc. 
Potherbs  or  "greens." 
Potatoes  and  root  vegetables. 
Green  peas,  beans,  etc. 
Tomatoes,  squash,  etc. 
Etc. 


GROUP  2. —  Foods  depended  on  for  protein. 


Milk,  skim  milk,  cheese,  etc. 

Eggs. 

Meat. 

Poultry. 


Fish. 

Dried  peas,  beans,  cowpeas,  etc. 

Nuts. 


GROUP  3.—  Foods  depended  on  for  starch. 


Cereal  grains,  meals,  flours,  etc. 

Cereal  breakfast  foods. 

Bread. 

Crackers. 

Macaroni  and  other  pastes. 


Cakes,  cookies,  starchy  pud- 
dings, etc. 

Potatoes  and  other  starchy 
vegetables. 


Sugar. 
Molasses. 
Sirups. 
Honey. 


GROUP  4. —  Foods  depended  on  for  sugar. 


Candies. 

Fruits  preserved  in  sugar,  jel- 
lies, and  dried  fruits. 
Sweet  cakes  and  desserts. 


GROUP  5. —  Foods  depended  on  for  fat. 


Butter  and  cream. 
Lard,  suet,  and  other  cooking 
fats. 


Salt  pork  and  bacon. 
Table  and  salad  oils. 

—  U.   S.   Department  of  Agriculture. 


CHAPTER  XII 
COOKING 

There  are  certain  rules  in  connection  with  food  and 
cooking  that  must  be  known  by  heart  before  one  is 
ready  to  begin  to  do  the  actual  work  of  cooking. 

Good  Things  to  Remember. 

Personal  appearance  and  cleanliness.  Be  clean  in  body 
and  in  dress. 

Wear  a  dress  of  wash  material. 

Always  wear  an  apron. 

Cover  the  hair  with  a  cap,  or  if  not  see  that  no  hairs  or 
curls  are  loose  and  untidy. 

Have  a  towel  pinned  at  the  belt  to  wipe  your  hands  on. 

Never  "  run  out  and  buy  "  just  before  a  meal.  This  is 
an  expensive  way  and  it  is  a  sign  of  disorderly  house- 
keeping. 

Market  only  once  a  day  for  the  three  meals.  Do  this 
marketing  in  the  morning. 

Never  leave  food  uncovered  when  not  in  use.  Keep 
milk  in  a  tightly  covered  bottle ;  the  bacteria  in  the  air 
sours  milk. 

To  keep  milk  overnight  without  ice,  scald  it,  then  cool 
and  cover  tightly. 

Cover  butter  when  not  in  use,  as  butter  absorbs  odors. 
If  you  put  a  melon  in  the  ice-box  with  uncovered  butter 
the  butter  will  taste  of  the  melon. 

150 


COOKING  151 

Cooked  food,  especially  meat  and  fish,  will  keep  better 
than  fresh  food. 

Bread  and  cake  do  not  need  to  be  kept  in  a  cold  place, 
but  they  must  be  kept  in  air-tight  tins  or  earthen  jars. 

Olive  oil  is  injured  by  freezing;  do  not  keep  it  in  the 
ice-box  excepting  in  very  hot  weather. 

Never  put  hot  food  in  the  ice-box. 

Do  not  waste  the  space  of  an  ice-box  or  window-box 
by  using  it  for  food  that  does  not  need  the  cold  to  keep 
it  fresh.  Keep  the  ice-box  for  milk,  eggs,  butter,  vege- 
tables, fruit,  meat  and  leftover,  cooked  food. 

In  cooking  a  meal,  everything  must  be  hot  and  ready  to 
serve  at  the  same  time. 

Never  begin  to  cook  until  the  cooking  table  has  on  it  all 
you  need  to  work  with. 

Rules  for  a  Cooking  Table. 

Pull  table  away  from  the  wall. 

Cover  with  white  paper  or  enamel  cloth. 

Place  on  the  table  all  pots  and  pans,  knives,  forks, 
spoons,  and  working  dishes  that  will  be  required. 

Get  out  all  needed  cooking  materials. 

See  that  the  kettle  on  the  stove  is  filled  with  fresh  water 
for  boiling. 

See  that  the  fire  is  raked  down,  ashes  out,  coals  hot,  and 
the  damper  and  check  closed  and  draft  open. 

Have  cooking  receipts  in  plain  sight. 

Now  you  are  ready  to  combine  materials  and  to  apply 
heat. 

Useful  Weights  and  Measures. 

32  tbsp.  in  a  pound  of  butter 
2  cups  in  a  pound  of  butter 
5-cent  loaf  of  bread  cuts  into  18  pieces 


152      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

4  cups  of  flour  to  i  pound 
2  cups  of  sugar  to  I  pound 
2l/3  cups  dry  beans  to  I  pound 
2%  cups  brown  sugar  to  I  pound 
2%  cups  oatmeal  to  I  pound 
2%  cups  corn  meal  to  I  pound 
i%  cups  rice  to  I  pound 
4%  cups  coffee  to  i  pound 

2  cups  chopped  meat  to  i  pound 

3  tsp.  in  i  tbsp. 
16  tbsp.  in  i  cup 

2  cups  farina  in  one  package 
2  cups  farina  in  one  pound 
I  pint  of  rice  in  i  pound 

Table  of  Proportions. 

i  cup  liquid  to  3  cups  flour  for  bread 
I  cup  liquid  to  2  cups  flour  for  muffins 

1  cup  liquid  to  I  cup  flour  for  batters 

2  tsp.  soda  to  i  pint  sour  milk 

1  tsp.  soda  to  i  cup  molasses 
%.  tsp.  salt  to  4  cups  custard 

2  tsp.  salt  to  4  cups  water 

y\  tsp.  salt  to  i  cup  white  sauce 
•  Y%  tsp.  pepper  to  i  cup  white  sauce 
]/2  pint  or  i  cup  is  8  ounces  of  milk 
32  ounces  in  i  qt.  of  milk 
2  tbls.  in  one  ounce. 

Cooking  in  General. 

There  are  four  reasons  for  cooking  food: 

1.  To  bring  out  new  flavors. 

2.  To  please  our  taste. 

3.  To  make  food  more  digestible. 


COOKING  153 

4.  To  destroy  harmful  microbes. 

Cooking  consists  in  applying  heat  to  raw  food.  There 
are  many  methods  of  cooking;  the  most  common  ways 
are: 

Boiling.  Cooking  food  in  boiling  water,  the  food  being 
covered  by  the  water. 

Stewing.     Simmering  or  slowly  boiling. 

Broiling.  Cooking  food  directly  over  a  fire  or  in  front 
of  a  fire. 

Roasting.  Cooking  meats,  or  fish,  in  an  oven,  allow- 
ing the  juices  to  be  drawn  out  into  the  roasting  pan, 
and  then  basting,  or  moistening,  the  roast  with  these 
juices. 

Frying.     Cooking  food  in  hot  fat. 

Baking.     Cooking  in  an  oven  by  heated  air. 

Frying  is  a  very  common  method  of  cooking,  because  it 
is  the  easiest  and  the  quickest.  It  is  the  least  healthful 
method.  In  frying,  the  food  absorbs  the  hot  fat,  and  hot 
fat  is  very  irritating  to  the  stomach,  unless  it  has  been  sub- 
jected to  long  and  slow  cooking,  as  in  the  case  of  baked 
cakes,  cookies,  muffins,  etc.  Even  with  these  it  is  bet- 
ter, before  eating,  to  allow  the  fat  in  them  to  cool.  A 
muffin  is  more  digestible  cold  than  fresh  from  the  oven. 
The  reason  for  this  is  that  fat  which  has  been  heated  and 
then  cooled  is  more  granular,  the  water  having  been 
driven  off  in  steam;  then  the  fat  becomes  brittle  and  is 
more  easily  broken  up  in  the  stomach. 

Baking  is  a  healthful  way  of  cooking  food.  In  baking, 
the  heat  of  the  oven  expands  the  air  or  gas  in  the  food, 
the  water  in  it  turns  to  steam ;  while  a  part  of  this  water 
evaporates  a  part  remains  in  the  food.  It  is  the  steam 
in  the  food  and  the  expansion  of  the  gases  that  work  the 
physical  changes  in  the  raw  materials  that  have  been 
mixed  together. 


154      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Sample  Menus. 

FOR  A  COOKING  CLASS. 

All  receipts  for  dishes  suggested  in  the  following  menus 
are  in  the  back  of  this  book.  These  receipts  take  it  for 
granted  that  when  the  terms  teaspoon  and  tablespoon,  or 
"  tsp."  and  "  tbsp."  are  used,  level  teaspoon  and  level 
tablespoon  shall  be  understood. 

No.  i. 

Breakfast  of  Cocoa,  Cereal,  Bread  and  Buttfr. 

Why  are  these  valuable  foods  ? 

Cocoa  is  simple  to  make,  easy  to  digest,  tastes  good  and 
is  nourishing.  It  takes  the  place  of  tea  or  coffee.  Tea 
and  coffee  are  stimulants,  never  good  for  boys  or  girls. 
They  affect  the  nerves.  Only  a  very  stupid  girl,  who  does 
not  value  health,  will  take  into  her  system  food  that 
injures  her  body. 

In  a  cup  of  cocoa  we  get : 
Milk,  Cocoa,  Sugar. 

Milk.  You  would  have  to  eat  two  eggs,  or  half  a  pound 
of  potatoes,  or  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  round  steak, 
to  get  as  much  strength  as  you  will  get  from  a  cup  of 
milk. 

Sugar.  Helps  the  taste,  but  it  also  gives  the  body  heat 
and  energy. 

Cocoa.  Gives  the  flavor  and  contains  a  very  little  pro- 
tein. 

Receipt  for  Cocoa  is  on  page  287. 
Cereals. 

Cereals,  or  grains,  are  simply  the  seeds  of  certain 
grasses  that  are  used  for  food.  Cereals  contain  woody 
fiber,  and  so  must  be  cooked  a  long  time.  They  also  con- 
tain much  starch  and  some  protein. 


COOKING  155 

To  know  how  to  cook  cereals  is  very  important,  because 
there  are  few  foods  where  we  find  as  much  real  nourish- 
ment for  the  money. 

TIME-TABLE  FOR  COOKING  CEREALS 

Amt.  Water          Salt  Time 

Cereal  Cups  Cups  tsp.  min. 

Rolled  Oats I  2^  i  40 

Petti  John's I  2  I  40 

Cream  of  Wheat  I  4  il/2  40 

Wheatena I  4  1^/2  30 

Rice !  i  6  2  30 

H.  O i  2  i  30 

Hominy  (fine)  . .  I  4  2  1  i  hour 

Cornmeal    I  4  2  j  2  hours 

Oatmeal  (coarse)  i  3^  il/2  3  hours 

Things  to  Remember  About  Cooking  Cereals. 

1.  Cereals  should  not  be  eaten  unless  they  are  thor- 
oughly cooked. 

2.  Have  the  cereal  stiff  enough  to  be  chewed.     If  too 
soft  it  is  swallowed  without  being  chewed  and  is,  there- 
fore, not  easily  digested.     Infant  cereal  food  is  strained. 

3.  It  is  a  good  rule  to  cook  cereals  twice  as  long  as  di- 
rected on  the  package. 

Suggestions  for  Serving  Cereals. 

1.  Berries,  apple  sauce,  sliced  peaches,  or  sliced  bananas 
can  be  served  in  the  same  saucer  as  the  cereal,  and  this 
makes  a  very  appetizing  dish. 

2.  Figs  or  dates,  cut  in  small  pieces,  may  be  stirred  into 
cooked   farina  or  mush  before  serving.     If  eaten   with 
cream  and  sugar,  this  dish  contains  enough  nourishment 
for  an  entire  meal. 


156      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Cereals  can  be  divided  into  three  classes: 

Raw  cereals,  such  as  old-fashioned  oatmeal,  cornmeal, 
etc.  (These  need  long  cooking.) 

Partially  cooked,  such  as  Cream  of  Wheat,  H.  O., 
Quaker  Oats,  etc.  (These  need  less  cooking.) 

Prepared  cereals,  such  as  Shredded  Wheat,  Force,  etc. 
(These  require  no  cooking.) 

The  only  difference  in  the  cooking  of  cereals  is  the 
amount  of  time  required  in  the  boiling  and  the  amount  of 
water  used.  The  water  should  be  boiling  and  salted  when 
the  cereal  is  added.  Cook  for  five  minutes  directly  over 
the  fire,  and  stir  lightly  with  a  fork  until  all  is  thor- 
oughly mixed.  Then  cook  in  a  double  boiler  or  in  a  small 
saucepan  placed  over  a  larger  saucepan,  the  larger  one 
containing  boiling  water  (this  to  prevent  the  cereal  from 
burning).  While  cooking,  stir  occasionally  from  the  bot- 
tom with  a  fork. 

As  the  water  underneath  boils  away,  more  should  be 
added;  also,  if  the  cereal  absorbs  the  water  too  rapidly, 
add  more  water. 

Bread  and  Butter. 

Bread.  Three-fifths  of  a  loaf  of  bread  is  solid  nour- 
ishment. Bread  contains  a  large  amount  of  carbohy- 
drates, a  small  amount  of  protein,  but  very  little  fat. 
When  we  eat  butter  (which  is  about  85  per  cent,  pure 
fat)  with  bread,  any  girl  can  see  what  a  well-balanced, 
nourishing  food  bread  and  butter  is. 

How  to  go  to  Work. 

To  prepare  a  breakfast  of  cocoa,  H.  O.,  and  bread  and 
butter. 

Have  receipts  either  clearly  in  your  mind  or  in  plain 
sight 


COOKING  157 

Put  fresh  cold  water  in  kettle  to  boil. 

Wipe  off  kitchen  table  and  cover  with  white  paper  or 
enamel  cloth. 

Put  the  following  on  the  kitchen  table :  cocoa,  sugar, 
milk,  H.  O.,  salt,  bread,  utensil  plate,  measuring  cup, 
knife,  teaspoon, ^tablespoon,  saucepan,  double  boiler,  bread 
knife,  egg-beater.  Place  cereal  dish  on  back  of  stove  to 
get  warm.  Fill  cocoa  jug  with  hot  water. 

As  soon  as  water  is  boiling,  start  cereal. 

While  cereal  is  cooking,  make  cocoa. 

When  both  are  ready  to  serve,  place  on  stove  where 
they  can  simmer  but  not  boil. 

Cut  bread  in  even,  thin  slices  and  put  on  bread  plate. 

Take  butter  from  ice-box  the  last  moment,  cut  in  even 
squares  (unless  it  has  been  made  into  butter  balls),  and 
serve  on  one  plate. 

Now  pour  hot  water  from  cocoa  jug  and  fill  with  hot 
cocoa. 

Fill  cereal  dish  with  hot  cereal. 

All  is  now  ready  to  serve  —  cocoa,  cereal,  bread,  butter. 

Sample  Meal. 

No.  2. 

Cream  Toast,  with  or  without  Cheese.     Baked  Apple. 

Receipt  for  Milk  Toast  on  page  340. 

Receipt  for  Baked  Apple  on  page  358. 

Toast.  Ordinary  white  bread  is  improved  in  flavor 
and  is  more  digestible  when  it  is  toasted.  Second-day 
bread,  that  is,  bread  a  little  stale,  is  better  for  toasting. 

Milk  has  all  the  necessary  ingredients  required  by 
the  body.  It  is  not  however  a  perfect  food  for  a  grown 
person.  A  man  or  woman  cannot  live  on  milk  alone,  as 
a  baby  does.  We  would  have  to  drink  eight  glasses  of 


158      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

milk  to  get  enough  nourishment,  and  that  would  be  too 
bulky  for  the  stomach  to  take  care  of. 

Common  flour  is  wheat  reduced  to  a  powder  by  grind- 
ing. Only  by  cooking  is  it  valuable  as  a  food.  Flour  has 
in  it  what  is  called  gluten.  Gluten  is  a  protein,  and  it  is 
the  gluten  in  flour  that  makes  it  possible  to  make  bread. 
When  this  gluten  mixes  with  water  and  gas,  it  blows  up 
the  mass  we  call  bread  like  a  sponge. 

So  in  milk  toast  we  get  bread  toasted  (thus  made  more 
digestible)  ;  milk,  with  its  high  nutritive  value;  flour  with 
its  fuel  value ;  lastly  butter,  which  gives  fats  to  the  body. 
Fats  give  more  than  twice  as  much  heat  as  carbohydrates. 
When  you  add  cheese,  as  in  receipt  on  page  340,  you 
greatly  increase  the  nourishment  in  your  meal,  for  cheese 
has  all  the  concentrated  food  value  of  milk.  There  is  as 
much  nutritive  value  in  one  pound  of  cheese  as  in  three 
pounds  of  beef. 

Baked  Apples.  These  do  not  contain  much  nourish- 
ment excepting  the  energy  from  the  sugar.  Cooked  fruit 
loses  in  food  value  but  gains  in  digestibility.  For  baking 
select  smooth,  sound  apples.  Wash  them  and  follow  re- 
ceipt on  page  358. 

Be  sure,  when  you  cook  fruit,  to  preserve  all  the  juice; 
you  will  lose  the  best  part  of  the  fruit  if  you  allow  this 
to  be  lost. 

How  to  Go  to  Work. 

Collect  and  put  the  following  articles  on  the  kitchen 
table:  bread,  milk,  butter,  cheese,  pepper,  salt,  apples, 
sugar,  cinnamon,  sauce-pan,  measuring  cup,  utensil  plate, 
teaspoon,  tablespoon,  knife,  grater,  pan  for  apples. 

See  that  fire  is  in  good  condition  with  oven  hot, 

Place  dish  for  toast  on  back  of  stove  to  heat. 

Follow  receipt  for  baking  apples. 


COOKING  159 

While  these  are  baking,  make  cream  sauce  for  toast  and 
let  it  simmer  on  back  of  stove  while  you  make  the  toast. 

When  apples  are  baked  put  on  serving  dish. 

Butter  the  toast,  put  in  hot  dish  and  pour  over  it  the 
•sauce.  The  last  moment  add  cheese  and  serve  at  once. 

Sample  Meal. 

No.  3. 

Fish  Chowder,  page  295  —  Crackers 
Dried  Apricots  or  Fresh  Berries,  page  360. 

These  receipts  will  show  you  that  on  the  kitchen  table 
you  must  have  fish,  potatoes,  onions,  milk,  salt  pork,  salt, 
pepper ;  also  apricots,  sugar  for  cooking  fruit,  and  neces- 
sary cooking  utensils. 

Fish  chowder  is  a  very  hearty  dish.  One  and  a  half 
pounds  of  codfish  is  equal  in  nutritive  value  to  one  pound 
of  lean  beef.  The  milk,  as  you  knoWj  has  high  nutritive 
value.  The  potatoes  will  contribute  starch  and  bulk,  and 
the  mineral  in  the  potato  will  help  digestion  and  purify 
the  blood.  The  onion  is  used  as  seasoning  on  account  of 
the  strong  oil  quality.  It  adds  almost  no  nourishment  to 
the  chowder.  The  salt  pork  is  made  from  the  fat  part  of 
the  pig.  Turn  to  page  120  and  you  will  see  how  the  fat 
from  the  back  and  belly  of  the  pig  is  salted  down.  The 
fat  adds  to  the  taste  of  the  chowder  and  gives  heat  to  the 
body.  After  eating  a  hearty  chowder  you  will  want 
something  fresh  and  light.  Fresh  berries  would  be  the 
most  agreeable,  or  as  a  good  substitute  apricots  cooked 
according  to  the  receipt  on  page  360  and  served  cold. 

How  to  Go  to  Work. 

First  put  apricots  (which  have  soaked  over  night)  on  to 
boil. 

Place  soup  dish  on  back  of  stove  to  heat. 


160      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Now  make  chowder  according  to  receipt. 

As  soon  as  apricots  are  soft,  place  one  side  to  cool. 

After  chowder  is  cooked  and  eaten,  apricots  will  be  cooL 

Sample  Meal. 

No.  4. 

Cornmeal  served  as  Polenta,  with  Lettuce  and  Celery 
Salad. 

Cornmeal  is  Indian  corn  ground  fine,  and  has  every  ad- 
vantage as  a  food.  It  is  cheap,  because  it  is  quick  and 
easy  to  raise ,  it  has  great  nutritive  value,  only  10.8  per 
cent,  is  water  while  over  89  per  cent,  gives  energy  and 
fat  and  repair  matter  to  the  body.  Cornmeal  may  be 
served  in  many  ways:  as  a  mush,  as  polenta  (which  is  an 
Italian  dish),  as  a  pudding  or  boiled  and  fried. 

It  is  well  to  serve  such  vegetables  as  lettuce  and  celery 
with  the  cornmeal  in  order  to  get  the  water  and  the  min- 
eral matter  that  is  lacking  in  the  heavier  dish.  We 
crave  a  light,  cool  dish  like  a  salad  after  as  hearty  a  dish 
as  cornmeal.  The  oil  in  the  salad  dressing  gives  addi- 
tional heat  value  and  the  cheese  served  with  the  cornmeal 
gives  all  the  nutritive  value  of  milk  with  no  loss  in  water. 

Receipt  for  polenta  on  page  366. 

Receipt  for  salads- on  page  328. 

How  to  Go  to  Work. 

Place  on  the  kitchen  table  all  material  and  all  utensils 
necessary  for  cooking  corn  meal. 

Fill  kettle  with  fresh  water. 

As  soon  as  the  water  boils  start  corn  meal  cooking  ac- 
cording to  receipt. 

While  corn  meal  is  boiling,  take  from  the  ice-box  the 
lettuce  and  celery.  Wash  and  put  back  in  cool  place. 


COOKING  161 

Make  French  salad  dressing,  and  leave  this  also  in  the 
ice-box  or  cold  window  box. 

Do  not  put  greens  and  salad  dressing  together  until  the 
last  moment  after  polenta,  or  corn  meal  dish,  is  ready  to 
serve. 

Sample  Meal. 

No.  5. 

Pea  Soup  Crackers 

Lettuce  and  Tomatoes  with  Mayonnaise  dressing. 

Receipt  for  pea  soup  on  page  296. 

Receipt  for  Mayonnaise  dressing  on  page  328. 

A  pound  of  dried  peas  from  which  pea  soup  is  made 
•costs  eight  cents,  and  there  is  as  much  protein  in  a  pound 
;of  peas  as  in  one  pound  of  the  edible  part  of  most  meats. 
Dried  peas  give  the  body  a  large  amount  of  repair  ma- 
terial, or  protein.  The  salt  pork  contributes  the  needed 
fat,  and  the  crackers  eaten  with  the  soup  will  supply  the 
starch  food.  In  the  salad  the  lettuce  gives  minerals  while 
the  tomato  adds  an  acid  flavor  that  is  pleasing  to  the 
taste.  In  the  salad  dressing  one  gets  the  nutritive  value 
of  the  egg  and  the  heat  value  of  the  oil. 

How  to  Go  to  Work. 

Think  far  enough  ahead  to  soak  the  peas  over  night  in 
cold  water. 

The  first  thing  in  the  morning  drain  and  cook  peas  as 
directed  in  receipt. 

When  soup  is  nearly  ready,  place  on  the  kitchen  table 
oil,  vinegar,  pepper,  mustard,  salt,  lettuce,  tomato,  bowl 
and  spoon  for  making  salad.  Then  make  dressing  accord- 
ing to  the  receipt. 

Wash  lettuce.  'Wash,  peel  and  slice  tomatoes.  Ar- 
range in  salad  dish,  with  lettuce  leaves  around  the  edge 


162      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

and  tomatoes  in  the  center. 

Put  soup  dish  on  back  of  stove  to  get  warm. 

When  soup  is  finished  strain  it  into  hot  dish,  and  eat 
with  crackers. 

After  soup  is  eaten  put  dressing  on  tomatoes  and  let- 
tuce and  serve  on  salad  plates,  or  small  tea  plates. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

COOKING  —  CONTINUED 

BAKING 

A  Suggestion  for  Plan  of  Class  Work. 

Taking  it  for  granted  that  a  class  is  to  have  a  course  of 
twenty  lessons.  In  every  other  lesson  have  some  baking. 
Divide  this  work  between : 

Baked  Meats. 

Baked  Puddings. 

Baked  Cheese  and  Vegetable  dishes. 

Muffins,  Corn  Bread  and  Baking  Powder  Biscuit. 

Cookies  and  Cake. 

If  possible,  more  lessons  should  be  given  on  this  subject. 

In  baking,  there  are  physical  changes  which  come  from 
a  blending  of  all  the  materials.  No  substance  is  lost,  but 
some  of  the  substances  are  changed.  For  example,  in  a 
cake,  the  sugar  is  still  sugar,  the  starch  is  still  starch,  and 
the  fat  is  still  all  there;  but  the  materials  have  been 
blended  together,  and  as  a  result  of  this  blending  new  flav- 
ors develop.  A  proportion  of  the  starch  and  sugar  in  the 
crust  will  change  to  what  is  called  caramel.  (In  the  back 
of  this  book  is  a  receipt  for  caramel  sauce,  and  any  girl 
can  see  for  herself  how  the  flavor  of  the  sugar  is  changed 
by  cooking.)  (Receipt  on  page  351.) 

In  the  back  of  this  book  are  receipts  for  baking  cake, 
muffins,  corn  bread  and  biscuits,  for  preparing  baked 
meats,  baked  puddings  and  baked  vegetable  and  cheese 
dishes. 

The  first  thing  to  be  sure  of  in  baking  is  that  you  per- 

163 


164      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

fectly  understand  your  oven,  and  that  it  is  in  the  best  con- 
dition for  baking.  A  freshly  made  fire  is  apt  to  give  a 
hotter  oven  than  one  that  has  been  burning  for  many 
hours ;  but  since  a  fresh  fire  is  by  no  means  always  pos- 
sible, have  your  fire  as  free  from  clinkers  and  ashes 
as  you  can,  and  have  the  coals  red. 

For  a  hot  oven,  close  the  damper,  open  the  draft,  and 
be  sure  that  the  check  is  closed  tight. 

There  are  two  ways  to  test  an  oven: 

1.  Place  a  piece  of  clean  white  paper  in  the  oven  and 
time  with  the  clock.     If  the  paper  burns  in  five  minutes, 
the  oven  is  a  "  hot  oven."     If  the  paper  takes  eight  min- 
utes to  brown,  the  oven  is  a  "  moderate  oven." 

2.  An  easier  test  is  to  hold  the  hand  in  the  oven  and 
count.     Your  hand  will  feel  very  hot  in  six  counts  in  a 
"  hot  oven."     You  can  count  eight  before  it  will  feel  very 
hot  in  a  "  moderate  oven." 

Keep  the  inside  of  the  oven  clean;  do  not  think  that 
because  no  one  sees  it  you  can  neglect  this  necessary 
cleaning. 

Doughs  or  batters,  containing  a  large  proportion  of 
eggs,  should  be  cooked  in  a  moderate  oven  to  prevent 
toughening.  Any  girl  can  see  why  this  is  so  if  she  will 
boil  an  egg  rapidly  and  then  boil  one  slowly  by  putting 
it  in  cold  water  that  slowly  comes  to  a  boil ;  the  first  egg 
will  be  tough  and  the  last  creamy  and  tender. 

In  baking  doughs,  the  larger  the  mass,  the  lower  must 
be  the  temperature  of  the  oven.  This  is  so  that  the  heat 
may  have  time  to  penetrate  to  the  middle  of  the  dough, 
and  expand  the  gas  and  harden  the  albumen  and  gluten 
before  the  crust  forms  around  if.  If  one  is  baking  a 
cake,  for  instance,  and  the  crust  forms  before  expansion 
has  taken  place,  the  cake  will  be  heavy. 

An  oven  which  has  in  it  food  giving  off  much  moisture, 


BAKING  165 


or  water  vapor  —  corn  cake,  for  example  —  requires 
great  heat.  If,  at  one  time,  there  are  several  dishes  in 
the  oven  all  throwing  off  steam,  the  oven  should  be  hot- 
ter than  if  those  dishes  were  cooked  separately. 

No  brown  crust  is  formed  in  baking  until  the  water 
from  the  surface  has  nearly  all  evaporated. 

Remember  that  every  time  you  open  the  oven  door  to 
look  at  what  is  baking,  you  allow  cold  air  to  enter  the 
oven.  On  the  other  hand,  don't  think  for  one  moment 
that  when  the  dough  is  in  the  oven  you  can  forget  it. 
It  is  your  responsibility  every  minute  until  it  is  thor- 
oughly cooked. 

If  the  cake  is  put  on  the  lower  shelf  of  the  oven,  the 
greater  heat  will  reach  it  from  the  bottom,  and  the  cake 
will  cook  slowly  (giving  the  gases  time  to  expand). 
This  is  better  than  if  the  cake  were  first  put  on  the  top 
shelf,  where  it  would  heat  too  quickly  making  a  hard  crust 
before  the  dough  is  heated  through. 

All  of  these  points  in  regard  to  the  oven  have  to  be 
known  before  the  mixing  and  the  baking  begins.  After 
the  mixture  is  put  together,  as  little  time  as  possible 
should  pass  before  it  is  in  the  oven  and  the  door  is  shut. 
There  is  no  time  to  study  the  oven  after  the  batter  is 
mixed. 

Getting  Ready  for  Baking. 

Cover  the  kitchen  table  with  paper. 

Collect  all  the  utensils  and  materials  that  will  be  used. 

Before  any  baking  is  begun  be  sure  that  teaspoon,  table- 
spoon, measuring  cup,  utensil  plate,  materials  to  be  mixed, 
bowls  for  mixing,  flour  sifter,  baking  pans,  even  paper 
for  buttering  pans,  are  on  the  table.  Every  good  cook 
will  use  forethought  in  getting  ready  so  that  after  she 
has  once  begun  to  combine  the  food  materials  she  will 


166      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

not  have  to  leave  the  table  until  the  batter  is  ready  for 
the  oven. 

There  are  good  cooks  and  bad  cooks,  and  a  poor  cook 
often  works  as  many  hours  as  a  good  one.  The  thing 
that  makes  a  good  cook  is  a  thorough  interest  in  cook- 
ing. Cookery  is  an  art;  and  to  succeed  in  it,  you  must, 
while  working,  give  it  your  whole  attention,  your  com- 
mon sense,  your  muscle,  and  your  taste.  When  a  girl 
is  a  trained  cook,  she  can  use  her  own  initiative. 

Doughs. 

Doughs  are  made  light  and  porous  in  the  following 
way: 

1.  When  baking-powder  unites  with  moisture,  the  gas 
in  the  baking-powder  is  set  free.     To  test  this,  put  dry 
baking-powder  in  a  spoon,  drop  a  little  water  on  it,  and 
at  once  you  will  see  bubbles  of  gas.     It  is  this  gas  in 
dough  that  makes  it  light. 

2.  Gas  is  produced  by  yeast.     Yeasts  are  very  minute 
plants.     These  tiny  plants,  when  they  come  in  contact 
with  sugar,  so  break  it  up  as  to  produce  from  it  carbonic 
acid  gas  and  alcohol.     This  process  is  called  fermenta- 
tion.    The  use  of  yeast  is  simply  to  manufacture  the  gas 
from  the  sugar  that  is  in  the  dough. 

3.  Doughs  are  also  made  light  by  beaten  eggs.     The 
whites  of  eggs,  especially,  can  be  expanded  by  beating  air 
into  them.     Then,  when  the  egg  is  added  to  the  dough, 
the  air  is  also  added.     Batter  without  eggs  can.  be  beaten 
so  hard  that  air  is  beaten  into  the  batter.     When  eggs 
are  used  as  leavening  agents,  the  whites  are  beaten  sepa- 
rately, as  they  will  expand  much  more  when  they  are 
separate  from  the  yolks.     The  whites  are  folded  into  the 
mixture  last  of  all,  and  a  good  cook  will  be  careful  to 
break  as  few  air  cells  as  possible. 


BAKING  167 

4.  Soda  in  combination  with  an  acid  such  as  sour  milk 
or  molasses  liberates  a  gas  that  makes  the  dough  light. 

5.  The  expansion  of   water  into  steam,   as  the  heat 
enters  the  dough  in  the  oven,  also  lightens  the  dough. 

All  material  used  for  leavening  must  be  kept  cold,  as 
cold  air  expands  more  on  being  heated  than  warm  air. 

General  Rules  for  Mixing  Dough  and  Batter. 

Two  cups  of  flour  require  about  four  teaspoons  of  bak- 
ing powder.  But  batter  and  muffin  mixtures  require 
more  baking  powder  to  the  amount  of  flour  than  soft 
dough. 

When  eggs  are  added,  one  teaspoon  of  baking  powder 
can  be  omitted  for  each  egg. 

Fats  are  added  to  a  dough  or  batter  mixture  to  make  it 
brittle.  This  is  called  shortening,  and  greatly  enriches 
the  dough.  Fat  should  be  cold  when  added  to  pastry,  but 
melted  when  mixed  with  batter. 

Food  that  is  served  cold  needs  more  sweetening  than 
food  that  is  to  be  eaten  hot ;  warm  food  always  tastes 
sweeter  than  cold. 

To  Test  any  Batter. 

A  cake  or  corn  bread  or  any  soft  batter  is  ready  to  be 
taken  from  the  oven  when  a  clean  toothpick  ( do  not  use  a 
straw  from  the  dirty  broom)  can  be  inserted  and  no  batter 
sticks  to  the  toothpick. 

Time-Table  for  Baking  or  Roasting  Meats. 
Beef  —  15  minutes  to  the  pound 
Lamb  —  20  minutes  to  the  pound. 
Pork  —  one-half  hour  to  the  pound. 
Veal  —  one-half  hour  to  the  pound. 
Chicken  —  20  minutes  to  the  pound. 
Turkey  —  20  minutes  to  the  pound. 


168      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

fTime-Table  for  Baking. 

Fish —  15  minutes  to  the  pound. 
Bread  —  45  to  60  minutes. 
Cookies  —  about  10  minutes. 
Thin  Cake — 15  to  30  minutes. 
Loaf  Cake  —  40  to  60  minutes. 
Indian  Pudding  —  3  hours  or  more. 
Bread  Pudding  —  45  minutes. 
Pies  —  30  to  45  minutes. 
Scalloped  Dishes  —  20  to  30  minutes. 
Baked  Beans  —  5  to  7  hours. 

Some  Reasons  Why  Baking  Is  Not  a  Success. 

Carelessness  in  watching  the  fire.  Coal  is  put  on  at  the 
wrong  time. 

Failure  to  test  the  oven. 

Slowness  in  putting  the  batter  in  the  oven  at  once  after 
mixing. 

Failure  to  have  the  leavening  agents  cold. 

Failure  to  move  the  cake  from  the  bottom  to  the  top 
shelf  at  just  the  right  time. 

Failure  to  test  batter  with  a  toothpick  before  it  is  over- 
done. 

Greasing  baking  pan  with  butter  instead  of  crisco  or 
drippings. 

Sample  Lesson  in  Baking  Meat. 

FIRST  BAKING  LESSON 

Roast  Mutton  zvith  Mint  Sauce,  Brown  Potatoes 
Mutton  is  the  same  as  lamb,  only  it  is  cut  from  a  sheep 
one  year  or  more  old.  Mutton  is  a  good  food  for  many 
reasons.  Sheep  are  especially  free  from  disease,  and  the 
meat  is  seldom  unfit  for  food.  Mutton  has  a  smaller  per- 
centage of  water  than  lamb,  more  fat  and  protein.  There- 


BAKING  169 

fore,  there  is  more  tissue- forming  substance  and  energy 
value  in  mutton  than  in  lamb.  Mutton  is  a  digestible  food, 
and  practically  all  of  the  nutritive  part  is  taken  up  and 
assimilated  by  the  body. 

Mutton  is  cheaper  than  beef,  pound  for  pound,  and 
.  there  is  less  waste,  because  a  sheep  can  be  cut  so  that  all 
parts  are  used. 

When  mutton  comes  from  the  market  it  should  be 
wiped  thoroughly  with  a  damp  cloth,  and  all  parts  that 
have  the  least  unpleasant  odor  cut  off.  As  to  cuts  of 
mutton,  see  Chapter  on  Marketing,  page  no. 

Beside  baking  there  are  different  ways  of  cooking  mut- 
ton. 

Soups  and  Broths.  In  making  mutton  broth  we  want  to 
get  as  much  of  the  flavor  and  nutritive  material  of  the 
meat  into  the  water  as  possible.  To  do  this,  cut  the  meat 
in  small  pieces  so  that  a  great  deal  of  the  surface  of  the 
meat  comes  in  contact  with  the  water.  Don't  let  the  water 
at  any  time  boil  hard.  If  the  meat  is  fresh,  do  not  remove 
the  scum  that  rises  to  the  top,  for  there  is  nourishment 
in  that  scum. 

There  is  not  much  nourishment  in  mutton  broth,  for  it  is 
in  the  meat  that  is  taken  out  that  the  nourishment  lies, 
only  gelatin  and  mineral  matter  are  left  in  the  water. 
No  one  can  grow  or  gain  enough  energy  to  work  on 
with  mutton  broth  as  the  only  food  during  a  day. 

Then  there  is  Mutton  Juice.  This  is  juice  from  the 
mutton  pressed  out,  or  squeezed  out  with  a  lemon 
squeezer,  without  using  any  water  as  in  boiling. 

Mutton  Stews,  page  312. 

Minced  Mutton,  page  311. 

Boiled  Mutton  —  this  is  the  same  process  as  in  soup, 
only  the  mutton  is  boiled  whole  and  not  cut  up. 


170      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Boiled  Mutton  with  Vegetables. 

Boiled  Mutton  with  Caper  Sauce. 

Many  more  ways  to  cook  mutton  can  be  found  by  send- 
ing for  "  Mutton  Bulletin  "  No.  526,  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, Washington. 

Roast  Mutton.  When  the  word  roasting  was  first 
used  it  meant  cooking  before  an  open  fire.  Now  it  means 
the  same  as  baking. 

For  this  baking  the  oven  should  be  very  hot  at  first  so 
as  to  keep  the  juices  from  escaping.  Then  reduce  the  heat 
after  the  meat  is  covered  with  a  crust.  As  the  fat  drips 
from  the  mutton  into  the  dish,  take  a  spoon  and  pour  it 
over  the  meat  every  fifteen  minutes  or  so. 

Roasted  Leg  of  Mutton  with  potatoes  makes  a  good 
dinner  dish. 

SECOND  BAKING  LESSON 

Corned  Beef  Hash 
Baked  Rice  Pudding 

In  cooking  a  meal  of  Corned  Beef  Hash  and  Baked  Rice 
Pudding,  the  pudding  must  be  mixed  and  put  into  the 
oven  first.  (Receipt  on  page  348.)  While  this  is  baking, 
chop  and  cook  the  hash.  Place  platter  for  hash  on  back 
of  stove  to  get  warm  before  beginning  to  cook. 

In  making  Corned  Beef  Hash  use  one  cup  corned  beef 
to  two  cups  potatoes. 

Do  not  put  the  beef  through  a  grinder  but  chop  it  by 
hand.  Only  in  this  way  can  all  the  gristle  be  gotten  out. 
To  make  a  good  hash,  a  cook  must  take  time :  "  fuss  over 
it,"  taste  it,  season  it  carefully.  It  takes  more  skill  to 
make  a  good  hash  than  to  roast  beef.  Follow  receipt  on 
page  312.  This  meal  lacks  mineral  matter,  so  add  fresh 
vegetables. 


BAKING  171 

Sample  Meal. 

THIRD  BAKING  LESSON 
Baked  Macaroni  and  Cheese  —  Spinach 

Macaroni  is  made  of  flour  and  water,  molded  or  formed 
into  tubes.  After  the  molding  it  is  dried  or  slightly 
vbaked. 

Macaroni  is  more  than  75  per  cent  starch. 

Macaroni  is  always  combined  with  cheese,  milk,  tomato 
or  some  other  food  before  it  is  eaten. 

Cheese  is  more  than  33  per  cent,  fat  and  more  than  25 
per  cent,  protein. 

Butter  is  about  85  per  cent.  fat. 

Milk,  as  you  have  found,  has  high  nutritive  value,  so  if 
you  follow  the  receipt  on  page  324  you  will  see  that  Baked 
Macaroni  is  a  dish  that  in  nutritive  value  can  take 
the  place  of  meat  for  dinner.  With  this  hearty  dish 
you  will  crave  a  green  vegetable  composed  largely  of 
water. 

Spinach  has  little  food  value,  but  it  is  refreshing  and  it 
is  very  healthy.  Invalids  and  little  children  can  eat 
spinach.  Spinach  is  seldom  perfectly  cooked.  It  needs 
two  things  to  make  it  good  —  labor  and  butter.  It  takes 
time,  water  and  patience  to  wash  it  clean.  In  the  place 
of  butter  drippings  from  beef  or  chicken  may  be  used. 
For  children,  spinach  when  young  and  fresh  is  often 
cooked  without  water  so  as  to  keep  all  of  the  salts. 
Cooked  in  this  way,  it  is  also  more  of  a  laxative.  Page 


While  the  macaroni  is  baking  and  the  spinach  boiling,  it 
would  be  well  to  study  vegetables  as  a  whole,  and  the  time 
needed  to  cook  the  different  vegetables. 

Cooking  Vegetables. 

In  choosing  vegetables  in  summer,  be  very  careful  to 


172      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

select  fresh  ones.  Summer  vegetables  should  be  cooked 
as  soon  after  gathering  as  possible.  Vegetables  purchased 
from  push-carts  must  be  carefully  examined  to  see  if  they 
are  fresh,  and  very  carefully  washed  before  cooking.  If 
the  peas  or  beans  you  buy  seem  old,  it  is  better  to  make 
them  into  soup  than  to  serve  them  as  vegetables.  The 
subject  of  vegetables  is  a  big  subject,  for  there  are  dried 
and  canned  vegetables  to  consider  as  well  as  fresh  ones. 

Every  girl  should  learn  to  can  vegetables  so  as  to  use 
them  in  winter  when  fresh  vegetables  are  dear.  Certain 
vegetables  are  especially  good  for  sick  people  and  certain 
ones  are  beneficial  for  children. 

Vegetables  give  the  body  minerals  and  water  and  neces- 
sary bulk;  peas,  beans  and  lentils  give  a  great  deal  of 
nourishment. 

All  vegetables  should  be  cooked  in  boiling  salted  water. 
Some  of  the  common  summer  vegetables  are : 

Time  for  Cooking 

Lima  Beans    i  to  iJ/J  hours 

String  Beans    I  to  3  hours 

Beets,   young    45  minutes 

Beets,  old 3  to  4  hours 

Cabbage   35  to  60  minutes 

Cauliflower    20  to  25  minutes 

Celery Used  raw 

Corn 20  minutes 

Lettuce    .  . Used  raw 

Onions     45  to  60  minutes 

Spinach    25  to  30  minutes 

Tomatoes    Cooked  or  raw 

Peas 20  to  60  minutes 

A  small  scrubbing  brush,  which  may  be  bought  for  five 
cents,  with  the  word  "  vegetable  "  marked  on  the  back, 


BAKING  173. 

and  a  small  pointed  vegetable  knife  are  a  necessary  part 
of  preparing  and  cooking  vegetables. 

Sample  Meal. 

FOURTH  BAKING  LESSON 
Omelet  and  Corn  Bread 

In  preparing  the  cooking  table  for  making  omelet  and 
corn  bread,  place  on  the  table  Indian  meal,  flour,  milk, 
eggs,  butter,  sugar,  baking  powder,  pepper  and  salt;  a 
mixing  bowl,  measuring  cup,  spoons,  knife,  utensil  plate, 
drippings  or  crisco  to  grease  pan  for  corn  bread. 

Have  a  good  fire  in  the  stove.  Place  on  the  back -of 
the  stove  to  heat,  a  platter  for  omelet  and  plates. 

First  make  the  corn  bread  after  receipt  on  page  335.  • 

While  this  is  baking,  get  eggs  beaten,  seasoned  and 
ready  for  omelet.  Do  not  put  the  egg  into/ the  frying  pan 
until  corn  bread  is  finished,  cut  and  ready  to  eat.  Then 
make  and  serve  eggs  according  to  receipt  on  page  304. 

Sample  Meal. 

FIFTH  BAKING  LESSON 
Cake  —  Plain,  and  with  Frosting 

Before  beginning  to  cook,  read  over  carefully  what  is 
said  about  doughs,  batters  and  baking  on  page  164. 

There  are  many  cake  receipts,  but  in  nearly  every  cake 
certain  things  are  to  be  done. 

Dry  ingredients,  that  is,  all  dry  material  like  flour, 
sugar,  salt,  baking  powder,  are  mixed  together  and  sifted 
before  uniting  them  with  the  wet  material. 

Cake  should  be  beaten  hard  to  get  the  air  in. 

After  mixing  and  beating,  the  cake  should  be  put  at  once 
into  the  oven  before  it  has  a  chance* to  fall. 


174      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Whether  the  cake  turns  out  well  or  not  is  largely  de- 
pendent on  whether  the  oven  is  good  or  not. 

Feather  cake,  on  page  354,  is  a  simple  cake  to  make  for 
a  first  cake  lesson. 

Cake  may  be  left  plain  or  with  frosting. 

Uncooked  Frosting. 

White  df  i  egg. 

Confectioner's  sugar. 

2  tbsp.  thin  cream. 

4  tbsp.  cocoa  or  i  square  chocolate. 

Beat  egg  and  to  this  add  cream  and  enough  sugar  to 
make  a  thick  frosting.  Melt  chocolate  and  add  to  white 
mixture  while  still  hot. 

Make  up  five  other  sample  meals  which  include  baking 
dishes. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
PRESERVING    FRUITS 

Different  Ways  of  Preserving  Fruits. 

Fruits  are  best  when  served  ripe  and  in  season,  but  the 
fruit  season  is  a  short  one  and  when  winter  comes 
some  fruits  are  difficult  to  get  and  are  too  expensive 
for  the  majority  of  people  to  buy.  We  do  well  to  store 
fruits  for  winter  during  the  summer  when  they  are  cheap. 

There  are  different  ways  of  preserving  fruits  in  season 
so  that  they  may  be  used  out  of  season.  They  may  be 
dried  in  ovens  or  in  the  sun,  so  that  all  water  is  evapo- 
rated. Dried  fruits,  such  as  apples,  peaches,  apricots, 
dates,  raisins,  when  boxed  and  sealed,  keep  an  indefinite 
length  of  time.  They  can  be  purchased  by  the  pound 
at  any  grocery  store.  Other  ways  of  keeping  fruits  are 
to  preserve  them  in  a  heavy  sugar  solution:  to  reduce 
them  to  jelly,  and  still  another  way  is  canning. 

Food  Value  of  Fruit. 

Most  fruits  have  but  little  nutritive  value,  the  average 
amount  of  water  being  85  per  cent.,  but  our  systems  need 
this  water.  We  need  also  the  mineral  properties  of  fruit, 
and  the  odor  and  flavor  act  as  a  stimulant  to  the  appetite 
and  as  an  aid  to  digestion. 

There  are  a  few  fruits  that  have  a  high  nutritive 
value,  and  these  are  dried  fruits:  dates,  figs,  prunes  and 
raisins.  Raisins  have  the  highest  per  cent  of  nourish- 
ment, and  prunes  the  next  highest. 

The  dried  date  is  a  staple  article  of  diet  in  Egypt. 

175 


176      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT' 

Half  a  pound  of  dates  and  a  half  a  pint  of  milk  is 
food  enough  for  a  meal  for  a  man. 

Half  a  pound  of  dried  figs  is  more  nourishing  than 
half  a  pound  of  bread.  A  pint  of  milk  and  six  ounces  of 
figs  are  a  hearty  meal. 

Prunes  are  dried  plums ;  they  not  only  have  a  high 
value  as  food,  but  have  a  laxative  quality  for  which 
reason  they  are  given  to  children  as  a  means  of  regulat- 
ing the  bowels. 

Fruits  are  dried  in  great  sheet-iron  stoves,  which  look 
like  tall  towers.  These  stoves  have  a  number  of  wire- 
netting  shelves,  one  on  top  of  the  other.  The  fresh- 
cut  fruit  is  laid  on  these  shelves.  A  fire  is  built  at  the 
bottom  of  the  stove,  and  the  fruit  is  bathed  in  steam 
vapor  until  all  moisture  has  passed  out  of  it  in  the  form 
of  steam,  leaving  the  fruit  dry.  In  this  dried  condition 
it  is  packed  into  boxes  and  sealed. 

The  receipts  for  cooking  dried  fruits  are  on  page  359. 

Cooked  fruit  is  more  digestive  than  raw  fruit.  It 
takes  the  stomach  more  than  three  hours  to  digest  two  raw 
apples,  while  a  cooked  apple  will  digest  very  quickly. 
The  acid  in  raw  fruit,  if  at  all  unripe,  causes  irritation  to 
the  intestines.  Diarrhea  and  colic  are  often  the  result 
of  eating  unripe  fruit. 

Canning. 

In  canned  fruits  the  flavor  of  the  fruit  is  preserved 
better  than  in  any  other  way,  since  less  sugar  is  used 
in  canning  than  in  preserving.  Therefore,  this  means  of 
preservation  gives  us  the  best  substitute  for  fresh  fruit. 
Canning  fruit  is  simply  putting  sterilized  fruit  into  steril- 
ized jars,  and  making  the  jars  air-tight  and  water-tight. 
Sugar  may  or  may  not  be  used.  When  we  use  the  word 
sterilize,  we  mean  the  killing  of  all  bacterial  life  by  means 


PRESERVING  FRUITS  177 

of  heat.  To  sterilize  our  jars  we  simply  boil  them  until 
all  possible  bacterial  life  has  disappeared. 

Buying  in  quantity  is  the  cheapest  way  to  buy  fruits. 
Much  better  value  can  be  obtained  for  your  money  by 
buying  by  the  crate  or  the  basket  rather  than  by  the 
pound.  Do  not  buy  from  stands  or  from  carts,  as  it  is 
very  necessary  to  have  fresh  fruit  for  all  canning  and  pre- 
serving. Fruits  for  canning  should  be  firm,  fresh,  and 
ripe,  but  never  overripe,  as  overripe  fruit  ferments,  even 
though  it  has  been  boiled  and  put  up  in  air-tight  jars. 

After  buying  the  fruit,  the  sugar,  and  as  many  one- 
quart  jars  as  will  hold  the  fruit,  the  next  thing  to 
do  is  to  prepare  the  table,  as  we  would  in  any  cooking- 
lesson.  Surely  every  girl  who  reads  this  chapter  in  the 
homemaking  course  has  learned  the  lesson,  never  begin 
to  cook  until  everything  she  needs  is  ready  on  the  kitchen 
table. 

Draw  the  table  into  the  middle  of  the  kitchen,  away 
from  the  wall;  for  the  preservation  of  the  wall  and  for 
the  greater  convenience  of  the  cooks.  Cover  the  table 
with  a  white  paper  or  enamel  cloth.  Collect  all  materials, 
fruit,  sugar,  jars,  and  cooking  utensils.  These  utensils 
are:  pan,  in' which  to  sterilize  the  jars;  kettle  for  cooking 
the  fruit  (this  should  be  of  agate  or  enamel,  never  of 
tin)  ;  wooden  or  silver  spoon  for  filling  the  jars  and  for 
stirring  the  fruit;  a  working  plate;  a  cloth  for  standing 
jars  on  and  wiping  them;  silver  knife;  funnel  for  filling 
jars  with  small  fruit  (the  larger  fruit  is  dropped  into  the 
jars  with  the  spoon)  ;  scales;  measuring-cup;  brush  for 
cleaning  the  fruit;  paring-knife;  quart  jars,  and  covers; 
rubber  rings ;  colander  for  washing  berries  and  draining 
the  water  from  the  fruit.  An  excess  of  water  will  make 
the  fruit  tasteless. 

Go  carefully  over  the  receipt  and  notice  for  yourself 


178      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

what  utensils  and  what  materials  will  be  needed  in  this 
canning  lesson.  Not  until  these  are  on  the  kitchen  table, 
every  girl  ready  in  a  large  apron,  perfectly  clean  hands, 
and  the  kitchen  fire  burning  at  its  best,  is  it  time  to  be- 
gin work. 

In  canning  we  use  glass  jars  with  tight-fitting  covers 
and  rubber  rings.  The  jars  and  covers  may  be  used  for 
years,  but  the  rings  should  never  be  used  more  than  once, 
as  the  rubber  becomes  porous,  and  will  let  in  the  air  if 
used  a  second  time. 

To  Test  Jars. 

Wash  the  jar,  the  cover,  and  the  rubber  ring  in  soapy 
water,  and  rinse.  Fill  the  jar  with  clear  water,  put  on 
cover  and  rubber  ring,  and  turn  it  upside  down,  allow- 
ing it  to  stand  in  this  position  for  some  little  time.  If 
the  water  comes  from  under  the  cover,  the  jar  is  not 
water-tight,  and  it  is  useless  to  sterilize  it,  as  the  best 
sterilization  cannot  make  it  fit  to  use.  Remember  it  is 
by  keeping  all  air  out  of  the  fruit  from  the  time  it  is 
canned  until  the  time  it  is  used,  that  prevents  fermenta- 
tion. 

After  testing  the  jar  in  this  way  and  finding  it  is  not 
tight,  it  can  sometimes  be  made  air-tight  by  putting  on 
a  different  rubber  ring  or  a  different  cover,  but  never 
use  a  jar  until  it  will  stand  this  water  test.  After  you 
have  proved  your  jars  air-tight,  sterilize  them. 

To  Sterilize  Jars. 

Wash  the  jars,  and  fill  with  cold  water.  Set  them  in  a 
pan  of  cold  water,  the  water  covering  the  jar.  Put 
this  pan  with  jars  on  the  fire  and  let  the  water  slowly 
come  to  the  boiling  point.  Boil  for  at  least  five  minutes. 
While  the  jars  are  being  sterilized,  prepare  the  fruit  for 


PRESERVING  FRUITS  179 

them,  for  they  should  be  filled  with  the  fruit  while  still 
hot. 

The  covers  should  stand  in  the  boiling  water  at  least 
five  minutes,  but  the  rubber  rings  should  be  dipped  in  and 
taken  out  at  once.  Never  allow  the  rubber  to  boil  in 
the  hot  water,  as  water  softens  it. 

General  Rules  for  Canning  Fruit. 

All  fruit  should  be  washed  in  cold  water,  never  in  hot 
or  warm  water.  If  berries  are  being  canned,  hull  them 
after  washing.  Cherries  may  or  may  not  be  stoned. 
Pears  are  cut  in  half,  pared,  and  the  core  taken  out. 
Peaches  are  pared,  and  the  stones  taken  out.  Apples  are 
pared,  cut  in  quarters,  and  the  core  taken  out.  Plums 
are  skinned  by  scalding  them  in  boiling  water.  The  stone 
of  the  plum  need  not  be  taken  out  for  canning.  Grapes 
are  skinned  for  jelly  and  marmalade,  but  are  not  skinned 
for  canning.  Rhubarb  is  peeled  before  canning. 

While  thus  preparing  the  fruit,  the  syrup  can  be  cook- 
ing on  the  stove.  As  has  been  said,  sugar  does  not  neces- 
sarily have  to  be  used,  but  it  helps  to  keep  the  fruit  from 
fermenting.  For  all  fruits,  such  as  plums,  cherries,  and 
berries,  make  a  syrup  of  one  cup  of  sugar  and  three  cups 
of  water.  This  amount  of  syrup  is  sufficient  for  each  jar 
of  fruit.  For  sweeter  fruits,  such  as  peaches  and  pears, 
use  three-fourths  of  a  cup  of  sugar  and  three  cups  of 
water  for  each  jar.  While  the  syrup  is  boiling,  put  the 
prepared  fruit  into  the  syrup  carefully,  so  as  not  to  break 
it.  Cook  until  the  fruit  is  tender.  To  know  if  the  fruit 
is  tender,  try  it  with  a  fork.  Be  sure  that  the  fruit  is  well 
heated  through,  or  it  will  spoil  after  being  put  into  the 
jars. 

Now  that  the  jars  and  fruit  are  sterilized  by  boiling, 
the  time  has  come  to  fill  the  jars  with  the  fruit. 


i8o      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

To  Fill  the  Jars. 

Remove  sterilized  jars  from  the  water  and  place  on  a 
plate  covered  with  a  hot,  wet  cloth,  so  as  to  avoid  all 
danger  of  the  jar  breaking. 

Fill  the  jar  with  the  boiling  fruit  until  it  overflows.  If 
it  is  large  fruit,  it  should  be  put  in  with  a  spoon;  if 
small  fruit,  put  it  in  through  a  funnel.  Run  the  blade 
of  a  silver  knife  around  the  outside  of  the  fruit  after 
it  is  in  the  jar;  dip  the  rubber  in  the  boiling  water  for  a 
moment,  and  put  in  place  around  the  top  of  the  jar;  now 
take  the  cover  from  the  boiling  water  and  screw  on 
tightly. 

Turn  the  whole  thing  upside  down  and  let  it  stand  on 
its  head  to  cool.  Be  sure  that  the  cover  is  on  so  tight 
that  no  juice  leaks  from  the  can.  Wipe  off  your  jar  with 
a  damp  cloth,  and  put  it  in  a  cool  place  until  you  are 
ready  to  use  the  fruit. 

If  fruit  ferments  it  will  be  for  one  of  three  reasons: 
the  jar  and  the  fruit  were  not  perfectly  sterilized;  the  jar 
was  not  air-tight ;  or  the  fruit  was  overripe. 

Marmalade. 

The  dictionary  says  that  marmalade  "  is  a  pulpy  con- 
sistence made  from  various  fruits."  Marmalade  is  the 
pulp  and  the  juice  of  fruit  with  sugar,  while  jelly  is  the 
juice  and  sugar  without  the  pulp. 

Preserves,  marmalades,  and  jams  are  virtually  the 
same,  being  the  preservation  of  fruit  in  a  strong  sugar 
solution;  but  marmalade  is  usually  made  from  the  more 
acid  and  bitter  fruits.  Marmalade  is  less  apt  to  spoil 
than  canned  fruits,  because  of  the  quantity  of  sugar 
used. 

It  is  economy  to  put  up  marmalade  when  fruits  are 
in  season,  for  the  expense  at  that  time  is  comparatively 


PRESERVING  FRUITS  181 

slight.  Later  this  preserve  can  be  used  on  bread  in 
place  of  butter;  in  sandwiches,  and  if  served  with  meat 
adds  much  to  a  dinner. 

Receipts  for  marmalade  are  on  page  362. 

Jellies. 

Jellies  are  made  of  cooked  fruit-juice  and  sugar,  there 
being  an  equal  proportion  of  juice  to  the  sugar. 

Not  all  fruits  can  be  made  into  jelly.  There  is  a  cer- 
tain quality  in  fruit  called  pectose,  and  only  when  this  is 
present  will  the  fruit  jellify.  In  overripe  fruit  this 
quality  is  lost.  If  the  fruit  and  juice  cook  too  long 
the  power  to  make  the  juice  firm  is  gone.  Consequently, 
if  you  fail  to  obtain  a  firm  jelly,  it  can  be  explained  by 
one  of  these  reasons:  the  fruit  was  too  ripe  or  it  was 
cooked  too  long.  Sometimes,  when  fruits  are  picked 
directly  after  a  rain,  the  juice  will  not  harden  into  jelly. 
The  best  fruits  for  jelly  are  grapes,  quinces,  crab-apples, 
and  currants. 

Jelly-glasses. 

These  should  be  prepared  in  the  same  way  that  jars 
are  prepared  for  canning:  sterilized  by  placing  in  cold 
water  and  allowing  this  water  to  come  to  a  boil;  and 
boiling  at  least  five  minutes.  After  the  jelly  is  poured 
into  the  glass,  cover  with  paraffin.  Paraffin  may  be 
bought  by  the  cake,  melted,  and  poured  over  the  jelly. 
If  the  glass  has  not  a  tin  cover,  a  piece  of  paper,  cut 
round,  and  placed  over  the  top,  and  pasted  down  over  the 
edge  of  the  glass,  with  mucilage,  will  do  as  well. 

Jelly-bag. 

A  jelly-bag  is  necessary  to  strain  the  juice  of  the  fruit 
from  the  pulp.  To  make  this  bag,  take  cheese-cloth,  fold 


182      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


Jelly-bag 

double,  then  fold  two  opposite  corners  together;  round 
the  pointed  end,  and  sew,  making  it  the  shape  of  a  cornu- 
copia.    Bind  the  top  with  tape,  and  sew  on  two  or  three 
loops  of  tape  by  which  to  hang  it. 
Jelly  receipts  on  page  363. 


CHAPTER  XV 
CARE  OF  CHILDREN 

Clothes  for  the  Young  Baby. 

A  baby  does  not  need  a  great  many  expensive,  useless 
things,  but  only  enough  clothes  to  keep  it  warm,  fresh  and 
dainty. 

The  clothes  should  be  made  by  hand  rather  than  pur- 
chased ready-made,  for  clothes  made  by  hand  give  better 
value  for  the  money  expended,  and  will  last  longer. 
Inexpensive  material  may  be  used,  but,  of  course,  goods 
of  better  quality  wear  longer,  if  they  can  be  afforded.  A 
baby's  clothes  should  be  extremely  simple,  never  over- 
trimmed,  and  ready  when  the  infant  is  born. 
Necessities  for  a  Baby. 

From  two  to  four  dozen  diapers  of  bird's-eye  diaper- 
ing, 

Four  flannel  bands, 

Three  wool  shirts, 

Two  flannel  skirts, 

Two  white  skirts  (these  are  not  necessary  at  first), 

Three  to  five  dresses, 

Three  night-slips, 

One  cap  and  coat, 

Two  flannel  or  knitted  blankets, 

Three  pairs  long  white  stockings,  for  winter. 

Soft  lawn  or  nainsook  is  the  best  fabric  for  slips  and 
skirts.  The  cloth  should  be  washed  before  being  made 

183 


184      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

up  to  protect  the  tender  skin  of  the  baby  from  chemicals 
that  may  have  been  used  in  bleaching  the  material. 


Wrapper 

It  will  be  necessary  to  buy  paper  patterns;  the  cost 
of  patterns  is  only  ten  cents  each. 

Diaper.  Eighteen  inches  wide,  one  yard  makes  one 
diaper ;  twenty  inches  wide,  ten  yards  make  nine  diapers ; 
twenty-four  inches  wide,  four  yards  make  three  diapers. 
Never  use  rubber  diapers. 

Band.  Three-quarters  of  a  yard  of  flannel  for  four 
bands.  A  small  baby  wears  a  flannel  or  knitted  band  as 
a  safeguard  against  rupture,  or  as  a  support  to  its  little 
body,  and  for  warmth.  Bands  should  be  made  of  fine, 
white  flannel. 

Bands  should  be  cut,  and  the  goods  left  with  raw  edges, 
so  that  the  bands  will  stretch,  or  they  may  be  torn  straight 
across  the  goods.  Make  them  six  inches  wide  and  eight- 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN 


185 


een  inches  long.     These  should  be  worn  only  two  months. 
Shirts.     The  baby  should  have  at  least  three  all-wool  or 
silk-and-wool  shirts. 


Flannel  Skirt 

Merino  shirts  are  the  best.  Do  not  get  the  first  size, 
as  the  baby  outgrows  them  too  soon.  The  second  size 
will  fit  for  a  long  time. 

Flannel  skirts.  These  should  be  made  to  hang  from 
the  shoulders,  and  not  with  a  band  to  pin  around  the 
abdomen.  A  white  skirt  is  not  necessary  for  a  young 
baby.  The  flannel  skirt  should  be  twenty-seven  inches 
long;  if  a  white  skirt  is  used  make  it  of  cambric  or  nain- 
sook. 

Dress.  Twenty-seven  inches  wide  goods  take  two  and 
and  five-eighths  yards ;  thirty-six  inches  wide  goods  take 
two  yards.  Dress  when  finished  should  be  twenty-seven 
inches  long.  Neck  should  be  fastened  with  tape,  not 
buttoned. 


186      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


Dress 


Nightgown  or  night-slip.  Twenty-seven  inch  wide  ma- 
terial, two  and  one-eighths  yards.  Open  in  front. 

A  pinning-blanket  is  not  necessary  or  advisable ;  it  pre- 
vents the  baby  from  using  its  feet  freely. 


Nightgown 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN 


187 


It  is  necessary,  in  winter  especially,  to  protect  a  baby 
from  draft;  a  wrapper  such  as  shown  on  page  184,  made 
of  Scotch  flannel  or  outing  flannel,  is  a  useful  garment 
for  this  purpose.  A  paper  pattern  can  be  bought  for  ten 
cents.  Tie  the  wrapper  at  the  neck  with  ribbon  to  match 
the  flannel. 


Flannel  Sacque 

The  flannel  sacque  is  worn  for  the  same  reason  as  the 
wrapper,  to  protect  the  baby  from  draft.  The  sacque  is  so 
simple  that  no  pattern  is  necessary.  Cut  the  flannel 


in  a  circle  making  a  hole  in  the  middle  for  the  neck  and 
an  opening  in  the  front  and  at  the  sides  as  in  the  picture. 
Bind  it  all  around  with  binding  ribbon  or  work  a  blanket 


188      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

stitch  around  the  entire  edge.     Tie  together  I  and  I,  2 
and  2,  3  and  3,  4  and  4. 

Topics  to  be  Discussed  While  Sewing. 

Lessons  on  the  care  of  a  baby  are  difficult  lessons  for 
grown-up  people  and  still  more  difficult  for  girls  to  learn, 
for  there  are  many  facts  that  must  be  learned  by  heart. 
It  is  easy  to  have  near  us  in  the  kitchen  the  many  re- 
ceipts for  cooking,  and  if  our  memory  fails,  the  cook-book 
is  always  at  hand;  but  it  is  not  possible  to  carry  about 
directions  on  how  to  give  a  tiny,  irresponsible  child  its 
best  chance  for  health  and  happiness.  The  rules  that  lead 
to  this  every  good  mother  knows  by  heart :  the  right  thing 
to  do  at  the  right  time.  The  care  of  little  children  is  a 
more  serious  occupation  than  any  other.  An  infant  is 
absolutely  helpless,  and  responsibility  for  its  very  life  falls 
on  the  girl  or  the  mother  who  has  the  baby  in  charge. 
While  a  group  of  girls  are  sewing  clothes  for  a  make- 
believe  baby,  a  great  many  important  facts  about  real 
babies  may  be  learned. 

If  the  baby  in  your  house  is  sick,  the  first  thing  for  the 
girl  or  the  mother  to  do  is  to  see  a  doctor  or  a  nurse  and 
find  out  what  the  trouble  is.  Do  not  take  the  advice 
of  neighbors ;  they  mean  well,  but  the  advice  is  often 
ignorant. 

Before  proceeding  farther  on  this  subject  of  children, 
a  tribute  should  be  paid  to  the  big  sisters  who  give  much 
care  to  the  tiny  members  of  the  family.  This  responsi- 
bility means  constant  sacrifice  of  playtime,  and  it  means 
endless  patience  on  the  part  of  these  older  sisters.  But 
this  position  of  "  minding  the  baby  "  is  taken  almost  al- 
ways with  a  spirit  of  love  and  unselfishness  —  a  spirit  that 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  things  in  the  crowded  parts 
of  our  city  life. 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  189 

It  needs  more  than  love  and  an  unselfish  spirit  to  care 
for  a  baby.  Every  girl  must  have  knowledge,  and  she. 
must  learn  to  control  herself  and  to  control  the  infant 
in  her  charge.  It  is  not  enough  to  know  that  the  baby 
should  not  eat  candy  or  suck  a  nipple;  one  should  see 
that  he  does  n't.  Every  girl  who  takes  the  responsibility 
of  a  little  brother  or  sister  must  see  that  rules  are  obeyed. 
Let  every  girl  and  woman  from  this  day  on  make  this  firm 
resolution :  "  As  I  know  the  laws  of  life,  I  will  do  all  in 
my  power  to  keep  them  and  to  enforce  them."  This 
strengthening  of  the  will  and  this  power  of  control  are 
more  important  than  any  other  education  in  the  world. 

Let  every  one  who  studies  this  book  drop  forever  the 
idea  that  the  important  subjects  of  life  are  known  after 
once  being  studied.  The  remark  is  constantly  made  by 
school-girls,  "  I  studied  that,"  or  "  I  did  that  last  term ; 
I  don't  see  why  I  need  to  go  over  it  again."  Those 
who  are  studying  this  lesson  for  the  first  time,  at  fifty 
will  be  still  studying  the  subject,  "  How  to  take  care  of 
the  baby." 

CLOTHING 
Diapers. 

Diapers  should  be  washed  every  time  they  are  soiled, 
and  dried,  if  possible,  in  the  sun  and  open  air.  Never 
dry  a  diaper  and  use  it  again  without  washing.  Keep 
diapers  in  covered  pails  until  washed;  and  really  soiled 
diapers  should  be  washed  out  at  once. 

Very  few  clothes  are  needed  by  the  baby  in  hot 
weather;  a  diaper  and  a  gauze  shirt  are  often  enough. 
More  harm  is  done  by  putting  too  many  clothes  on  a  baby 
than  by  not  putting  on  enough.  It  is  because  babies  are 
loved  so  much  and  seem  so  frail  to  grown-up  people  and 
to  big  sisters  that  the  fear  of  their  taking  cold  is  exag- 
gerated ;  and  so  the  baby  is  wrapped  up  until  its  body  is 


190      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

too  warm,  and  the  ch'ild  finds  it  hard  to  use  its  limbs  com- 
fortably. The  body  of  a  tiny  child  is  warmer  than  the 
body  of  older  people,  and  it  feels  the  heat  more.  The 
skin  wants  to  breathe,  and  the  air  wants  a  chance  to 
enter  the  pores  of  the  skin.  It  is  the  fresh  air  that  gives 
life,  and  yet  some  babies  are  wrapped  up  as  if  fresh 
air  were  a  poison  and  must  be  kept  away  from  the  little 
lungs. 

Perfect  circulation  is  necessary  if  a  baby  is  to  have 
rich  blood ;  good  air  must  enter  the  lungs :  and  the  cloth- 
ing be  kept  loose.  Fresh  air  cannot  enter  the  lungs  of  any 
child  that  has  a  shawl  wrapped  around  its  head  or  has 
so  many  tight  clothes  on  its  body  that  its  lungs  cannot 
expand. 

The  only  way  a  baby  exercises  is  by  screaming,  kick- 
ing, and  squirming.  Tight  clothes  prevent  this. 

The  baby's  clothes  should  be  thin,  light,  and  soft,  and 
always  laundered  without  starch.  They  should  hang 
from  the  shoulders. 

For  a  baby  to  sleep  well,  its  clothes  should  be  loose. 
Remember,  if  an  infant  is  too  warm,  its  sleep  will  be  rest- 
less. 

A  child  suffers  from  wet  clothes,  but  cannot  tell  of  its 
discomfort.  It  is  for  the  one  in  charge  of  the  baby  to 
use  such  thoughtfulness  and  kindness  that  the  clothes 
will  be  changed  as  soon  as  they  become  wet  or  soiled. 

Before  the  Birth  of  the  Baby. 

The  care  of  a  baby  should  be  started  before  it  is  born, 
and  there  are  many  things  -that  even  schoolgirls  can  do  to 
help  their  mothers.  Of  all  the  babies  who  die  under  one 
year  of  age,  thirty-five  per  ctnt.  or  over  one-third,  die 
before  they  are  a  month  old.  Many  of  these  babies  die 
because  at  birth  they  are  weak  and  sickly,  and  this  is  due 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  191 

largely  to  the  fact  that  the  mother  uses  up  too  much 
strength  during  the  months  before  the  baby  is  born. 
Every  girl  must  see  that  one  way  to  help  save  the  life 
of  her  baby  brother  or  sister  is  to  help  the  mother  as 
much  as  possible  before  the  baby  is  born. 

In  the  first  place,  more  respect  should  be  shown  to  all 
women  at  this  time.  Very  often  a  woman  is  irritable 
when  she  is  carrying  her  child.  This  is  because  she  is 
uncomfortable,  and  her  whole  nature  feels  the  discom- 
forts and  hardships  of  life  more  than  at  other  times. 
It  is  little  enough  for  the  family  to  do  to  show  great 
patience  toward  the  mother  at  this  time.  Another  way 
a  girl  can  help  is  to  spare  her  mother  all  the  steps  and  all 
the  housework  possible,  never  allowing  her  to  carry  or 
lift  any  heavy  weight,  taking  from  her  as  much  of  the 
cooking,  bed-making,  cleaning,  and  care  of  the  house  as  is 
practicable. 

In  many  cases  the  schoolgirls  of  a  family  hear  more 
about  such  institutions  as  settlements,  milk  stations,  and 
hospitals  than  does  the  mother.  It  is, .  therefore,  the 
daughter  who  should  see  that  her  mother  has  the  address 
of  a  good  trained  nurse  or  a  good  hospital  or  the  best 
doctor.  This  will  relieve  the  mind  of  the  woman,  and 
will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  tiny  baby. 

Other  causes  which  weaken  the  mother  before  the 
birth  of  the  child  are  improper  food,  irregular  meals,  and 
lack  of  rest  and  sleep.  This  reduces  her  strength,  and  she 
has  not  the  proper  strength  to  give  the  baby  who  is  de- 
pending upon  her. 

Every  child  has  a  right  to  be  born  healthy.  Life  is  a 
hard  battle,  even  if  we  have  all  the  strength  that  is  our 
due,  but  it  is  unfair,  if  it  can  be  avoided,  to  start  a  baby 
with  a  weak  body.  If  every  schoolgirl  realizes  the  neces- 
sity that  a  woman  who  is  bearing  a  child  should  be  in  the 


192      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

best  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  condition  possible,  it 
will  do  a  great  deal  to  make  better  men  and  women  in  the 
coming  generation.  Heredity  is  what  a  baby  gets  from 
its  father  and  its  mother,  and  environment  is  the  condition 
under  which  the  child  lives  and  grows  to  be  a  man  or  a 
woman.  A  great  deal  has  been  said  about  heredity,  that 
a  baby  could  not  help  being  this  or  that  because  it  in- 
herited the  tendency  from  its  father  or  mother;  but  now 
we  know  that  conditions  over  which  we  have  control  — 
have  much  to  do  with  the  life  of  a  child. 

The  Nursery. 

The  nursery  is  the  room  in  which  the  baby  sleeps. 
This  room  should  be  free  from  all  unnecessary  articles 
that  collect  dust  and  interfere  with  the  circulation  of  the 
air.  It  is  the  mother  of  the  house  who,  in  most  cases, 
decides  where  the  children,  including  the  baby,  shall 
sleep,  it  is  she  who  furnishes  the  rooms;  consequently, 
schoolgirls  have  little  power  to  carry  out  individual  ideas 
except  by  suggestion.  Every  girl  has  a  right  to  her  own 
ideas  and  taste,  and  the  chance  will  come  when  she 
can  furnish  a  nursery  her  way,  but  in  the  meantime  she 
can  help,  and  often  advise  her  mother. 

The  baby's  room  should  be  the  room  that  the  sun  shines 
in,  if  there  is  such  a  room  in  the  house.  Grown  people 
spend  much  time  at  the  shop,  the  factory,  the  school,  or 
in  the  street.  The  baby  spends  at  least  three-fourths  of 
every  day  at  home,  and  it  needs  the  sun  to  help  it  grow  — 
surely  as  much  as  a  flower  does.  A  crib  for  the  baby 
should  have  only  such  trimming  as  can  be  easily  taken  off 
and  washed.  Even  though  schoolgirls  cannot  regulate 
many  things  about  their  parents'  house,  they  often  can 
detect  close  air  in  a  room  when  the  mother  does  not 
notice  it.  This  is  because  the  mother  does  not  get  the 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  193 

contrast  her  girls  get,  who  constantly  run  in  and  out 
from  the  open  air.  When  the  air  in  the  baby's  room 
seems  impure,  open  the  window  wide  for  a  few  moments, 
taking  the  baby  into  another  room  while  you  thus  change 
the  air  of  the  nursery. 

Do  not  dry  the  diapers  in  the  room  where  the  baby  is 
sleeping ;  don't  cook  food  there ;  and  it  is  better  not  to  have 
the  gas  burning  at  night  in  the  nursery. 

The  baby  does  not  want  too  much  heat  in  the  room 
any  more  than  it  wants  an  over  amount  of  clothes. 
Thermometers  do  not  cost  much ;  get  one,  and  keep  it  in 
the  nursery.  Never  let  the  thermometer  go  above  seventy 
degrees.  If  it  rises  above  that,  open  the  window  a  little 
from  the  top  and  bottom,  and  let  the  overheated  air  out 
and  the  fresh  air  in. 

Have  the  room  the  baby  lives  in  a  bright,  pretty  room, 
but  not  fussy.  The  baby  and  its  equipment  need  all  the 
space  possible.  Nothing  is  more  beautiful  than  a  nursery 
which  in  every  detail  shows  that  it  belongs  to  a  little 
child.  The  bed  in  this  nursery  should  be  a  crib  or  a  single 
bed.  A  baby  should  sleep  alone,  never  with  a  grown 
person. 

Nursing  a  Baby. 

Girls  may  say  that  this  is  their  mother's  business,  but 
for  three  reasons  it  is  everybody's  business  to  learn 
about  this  subject.  First,  because  it  makes  every  one 
anxious  to  help  a  nursing  mother  so  that  she  can  better 
perform  this  great  obligation  to  her  child.  It  makes 
every  one  respect  her  and  show  this  respect  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  And,  third,  this  subject  is  so  important  that 
girls  should  begin  to  realize  it  when  they  are  young  and 
when  there  is  time  and  opportunity  to  study  about  these 
things. 


194      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

These  are  a  few  of  the  reasons  given  by  the  Board  of 
Health  in  New  York  City  on  the  subject  "  Why  a  Mother 
should  nurse  her  Baby." 

1.  One  death  out  of  every  five  which  occur  at  all  ages 
is  that  of  a  baby  under  one  year  of  age,  and  the  greatest 
number  of  these  deaths  is  among  bottle-fed  babies. 

2.  In  the  city  of  New  York  during  1912,  3392  babies 
under  one  year  of  age  died  from  bowel  trouble,  and  nine 
out  of  every  ten  of  these  babies  were  bottle-fed. 

3.  Mother's  milk  is  the  only  safe  food  for  a  baby  dur- 
ing the  first  six  months  of  its  life. 

4.  Cow's  milk  or  prepared  food  can  never  equal  breast 
milk  as  the  proper  food  for  the  baby. 

5.  Breast  fed  babies  rarely  have  bowel  trouble.     Bottle- 
fed   babies   rarely   escape   it,   particularly   during  warm 
weather. 

6.  Babies  fed  on  breast  milk  show  the  best  develop- 
ment ;  the  teeth  will  appear  at  the  proper  time ;  the  mus- 
cles and  bones  will  be  stronger,  and  walking  will  not  be 
delayed. 

7.  A  breast-fed  baby  is  not  so  likely  to  have  bronchitis 
or  croup,  and  if  attacked  by  any  disease,  has  a  much 
better  chance  of  living  than  a  bottle-fed  baby. 

8.  Pneumonia  in  babies  is  fatal  more  often  in  bottle- 
fed  babies  than  in  breast-fed  babies. 

There  is  a  great  deal  that  mothers  should  know  about 
nursing  their  babies  that  schoolgirls  must  learn  later,  but 
one  fact  every  girl  must  kn6w  by  heart  and  teach  to  as 
many  women  as  she  can.  A  baby  must  be  nursed  only  at 
regular  intervals  and  at  the  same  time  each  day.  A 
doctor,  a  nurse,  or  a  milk  station  attendant  will  tell  a 
mother  how  far  apart  these  intervals  should  be,  and  then, 
no  matter  how  hard  the  baby  cries,  no  food  should  be 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  195 

given  between  times.  Remember,  when  little  girls  or 
women  give  children  what  they  cry  for  because  they  cry 
it  is  not  kindness  but  selfishness,  and  is  cruel  to  the 
child. 

Children's  Diseases. 

A  little  knowledge  as  to  the  signs  of  illness  is  neces- 
sary for  girls  so  that  they  can  act  in  time  to  prevent 
serious  sickness.  If  you  have  not  sufficient  knowledge  to 
know  when  the  baby  is  sick,  you  will  not  know  when  to 
send  for  the  doctor. 

The  common  diseases  of  children  are  the  following: 

Colic.  This  can  be  known  usually  by  the  sign  of  pain, 
hard  crying,  and  drawing  up  of  the  feet. 

If  this  happens,  get  the  feet  warm,  and  put  a  hot 
flannel  on  the  stomach  and  rub  the  stomach  gently.  No 
young  girl  should  give  medicine.  If  the  pain  continues, 
call  at  once  on  some  one  with  experience. 

Convulsions.  You  can  recognize  a  convulsion  by  a 
choking  sound,  spasmodical  breathing,  stiffness  of  the 
body.  The  eyes  are  staring,  the  hands  clenched,  and  the 
mouth  firmly  shut. 

Send  for  the  nearest  doctor  and  while  you  are  waiting 
for  him,  put  the  baby  in  a  hot  bath,  and,  if  this  does  not 
relieve  him,  soak  the  feet  in  mustard  water. 

Constipation.  This  is  the  responsibility  of  the  older 
members  of  the  family  toward  the  little  children.  Small 
children  cannot  realize  the  importance  of  having  their 
bowels  move  every  day  and  at  the  same  time  each  day. 
It  is  one  of  the  duties  of  big  people  to  train  little  children 
to  form  this  habit  of  regularity.  Begin  this  training  when 
the  baby  is  only  two  months  old.  Let  no  girl  ever  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  constipation  is  a  fearful  danger;  the 


196      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

system  becomes  clogged  and  finally  poisoned,  often  for  no 
larger  reason  than  that  children  forget,  or  are  in  too  much 
of  a  hurry,  to  care  for  and  respect  their  bodies. 

Diarrhea.  Too  frequent  movements  of  the  bowels,  oc- 
casioned usually  from  indigestion.  The  baby  is  sick  when 
it  vomits  or  has  diarrhea ;  it  is  seriously  ill  when  it  has 
several  loose,  green  passages  a  day.  Stop  all  food,  give 
cool  boiled  water,  and  take  the  baby  to  a  doctor.  Older 
children  often  have  diarrhea  from  buying  and  eating 
what  the  little  stomach  cannot  digest.  Giving  a  penny  to 
a  child  to  keep  it  quiet  is  a  cruel  act  to  the  child;  there 
is  no  kindness  in  it.  If  the  child  in  your  care  has 
diarrhea,  there  are  two  things  to  do :  stop  all  food  and 
keep  him  quiet.  If  he  is  not  better  in  five  or  six  hours, 
ask  a  doctor's  advice. 

Earache.  If  the  baby  screams  as  if  with  pain,  puts 
his  hand  to  his  head,  and  cries  when  he  is  touched,  the 
trouble  is  often  earache.  No  girl  knows  enough  to  treat 
the  ear.  Do  not  even  drop  oil  or  hot  water  in  the  ear. 
Put  a  hot  water-bag  or  a  warmed  piece  of  flannel  against 
the  ear;  but  if  this  does  not  stop  the  cries,  carry  the  baby 
to  a  doctor  or  to  the  nearest  nurse.  Nurses  do  not 
treat  diseases,  but  they  can  advise  as  to  the  very  best  place 
to  go  and  how  to  get  there. 

Croup.  This  usually  comes  to  a  child  at  night  when  it 
is  difficult  to  get  the  doctor  or  nurse  at  once.  Croup 
begins  with  a  dry,  hard  cough,  and  the  baby  shows  diffi- 
culty in  breathing.  While  the  father,  or  some  one,  is 
getting  dressed  to  go  for  the  doctor,  the  big  sister  can  do 
the  following  things :  start  the  tea-kettle  boiling  and  let  it 
boil  in  the  room  with  the  baby,  for  steam  helps  it  to 
breathe.  Also,  hot  cloths  put  on  the  throat  may  relieve 
the  child.  The  room  should  be  kept  \varm.-  This  is  all  a 
girl  can  do  except  to  keep  her  head  and  help  the  family 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  197 

to  keep  calm,  and  get  the  advice  of  a  doctor  or  nurse, 
not  a  neighbor's  advice. 

Measles  begin  with  sneezing,  watery  eyes  and  nose,  a 
cough,  and  an  eruption  appearing  on  the  face  and  neck. 
Under  these  conditions  keep  the  baby  warm,  out  of  all 
drafts,  and  away  from  all  other  children,  if  there  is  any 
eruption,  until  you  have  seen  a  doctor;  as  so  many  dis- 
eases are  contagious. 

Whooping-cough.  This  also  is  very  contagious.  It 
begins  like  an  ordinary  cold,  growing  more  severe  as  time 
goes  on,  until  the  child  begins  to  "  whoop."  It  is  not  a 
dangerous  disease,  except  with  tiny  babies,  but  it  means 
suffering  and  terrible  discomfort.  Children  are  apt  to 
vomit  when  they  cough,  and  this  requires  much  labor  and 
much  patience  on  the  part  of  big  sisters. 

Mumps.  A  swelling  beneath  the  ear  and  a  sore  throat 
indicate  mumps.  Take  the  child  to  a  doctor  if  you  fear 
mumps.  It  sometimes  proves  very  serious,  always  pain- 
ful. 

If  a  child  shows  symptoms  of  serious  illness,  put  him  to 
bed  at  once.  Keep  all  other  children  out  of  the  room 
until  the  doctor  comes.  And  do  not  wait  until  to-morrow 
to  send  for  the  nurse  or  doctor.  Send  at  once. 

Don't  get  irritated  at  a  baby  if  he  seems  cross.  He 
may  be  ill.  Look  for  the  following  signs:  a  hot,  dry 
skin  means  fever.  Vomiting  means  the  baby  is  trying  to 
get  rid  of  something  that  is  not  digesting.  If  he  won't 
nurse  or  take  his  bottle,  there  surely  is  something  wrong. 
If  he  has  a  cough,  find  out  at  once  if  it  is  serious. 

A  cross  and  fretful  baby  is  usually  a  sick  baby.  A  well 
baby  sleeps  most  of  the  time  and  is  happy  when  he  is 
awake. 

Many  children's  sicknesses  and  deaths  can  be  prevented 
if  grown  people  know  what  to  do,  and  do  it. 


198      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

How  to  Bathe  a  Baby. 

A  baby  can  have  a  tub  bath  after  it  is  ten  days  old.  It 
should  not  be  bathed  for  one  hour  after  feeding,  and  if 
the  room  is  cold  in  the  morning,  bathe  the  baby  just  be- 
fore he  is  put  to  bed  for  the  night. 

Get  everything  ready  for  the  bath  before  undressing 
the  baby.  See  that  the  room  is  warm. 

Place  the  baby  on  a  pillow  on  a  table  or  on  the  lap  — 
first  protecting  the  pillow  with  rubber  or  oilcloth.  If  the 
room  is  cold,  have  the  table  near  the  stove,  or  have  the 
baby  on  a  blanket  over  a  hot-water  bottle. 

Have  clean  clothes  on  a  chair  near  the  stove. 

Have  plenty  of  hot  water,  Castile  soap,  soft  towels,  and 
a  piece  of  cheese-cloth  (not  a  sponge),  several  cotton 
swabs,  and  a  glass  of  clean  water  to  wash  out  the  baby's 
mouth. 

In  taking  off  the  clothes,  unfasten  them  and  pull  them 
all  down  over  the  feet.  In  undressing  a  child  have  a 
separate  place  for  wet  diapers. 

Cover  the  baby  with  a  blanket,  then  lay  a  towel  over 
the  blanket. 

Shake  soap  in  water  lightly  and  wash  the  face.  Never 
use  cold  water;  it  frightens  a  baby. 

Pay  special  attention  to  the  corners  of  eyes  and  ears. 

Wash  the  ears  carefully,  and  in  back  of  the  ears.  If 
dirt  is  found,  apply  white  vaseline  to  back  of  ears  with 
cotton  swabs,  then  wash.  Twist  wash-cloth  very  finely, 
and  wash  inside  of  the  ears. 

Rinse  the  cloth  and  wash  the  face  all  over,  then  dry 
it. 

Then  wash  the  head,  soaping  well,  and  dry  very  care- 
fully and  quickly. 

If  there  are  crusts  on  the  head,  use  vaseline  to  soften 
them. 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  199 

Wash  the  mouth  by  wrapping  absorbent  cotton  around 
the  finger,  dip  the  finger  in  a  glass  of  clean  water,  clean 
under  the  tongue,  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  and  around  the 
teeth. 

Then  clean  the  nostrils  with  a  twist  of  the  wash-cloth. 

Be  sure  the  water  is  warm.  It  should  feel  warm 
to  the  elbow.  As  it  cools  quickly,  have  the  water 
warmer  than  necessary  for  the  bath  when  you  first  draw 
it. 

Soap  the  body  before  putting  the  baby  in  the  basin. 
Do  this  very  gently  to  avoid  frightening  the  child. 

Wash  it  all  over  very  carefully  and  thoroughly  in  the 
bath. 

Take  the  baby  in  one  hand  and  the  towel  in  the  other 
and  put  the  baby  back  on  the  pillow. 

Never  lift  the  baby  by  its  arms.  Put  one  hand  under 
the  head  and  the  other  hand  under  the  back. 

The  navel  must  be  kept  clean.  If  necessary,  use  vase- 
line. 

Dry  the  baby  by  patting  it  with  the  towel ;  do  not  rub 
it.  Give  the  child  a  bath  every  day,  and  more  than  one 
a  day  can  be  given  in  hot  weather.  This  is  to  cool  the 
body,  more  than  for  cleansing  purposes. 

Wash  the  baby,  when  soiled,  every  time  you  change  its 
diapers.  Use  no  soap,  only  warm  water,  and  dry  thor- 
oughly to  prevent  chafing.  Chafing  comes  always  from 
moisture. 

Dressing  a  Baby. 

Keep  in  mind  that  no  clothing  must  be  tight,  and  that 
no  common  pins  may  be  used.  Put  all  clothes  on  over 
the  feet,  not  over  the  head. 

Have  clothes  warmed  before  putting  on.  Damp 
clothes  might  cost  the  baby  its  life. 


200      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

First  put  on  the  shirt,  then  push  it  up  out  of  the  way, 
so  that  the  band  can  be  put  on. 

The  belly-band  is  rolled  before  it  is  put  on,  and  then 
unrolled  as  it  is  put  around  the  body*  Pin  just  at  the 
side  of  the  middle  in  front.  Never  use%heap  safety-pins. 
Stitch  the  band  on  or  use  reliable  pins.  Be  careful  when 
pinning  not  to  stick  the  baby.  Put  pins  one  inch  apart. 
Have  the  band  tight  enough  to  support  the  abdomen  and 
protect  the  navel,  but  not  tight  enough  to  cause  ridges  in 
the  flesh. 

Have  a  blanket  always  over  the  baby's  legs  while  dress- 
ing it ;  pull  skirt  down  over  the  band. 

Then  put  on  a  diaper.  Fold  the  diaper  to  fit  the  baby, 
always  diagonally.  For  older  babies,  two  diapers  should 
be  used,  and  put  on  in  the  same  way. 

Pin  the  shirt  to  the  diaper,  but  do  not  have  the  diaper 
too  tight;  it  must  be  comfortable. 

Put  the  stockings  on  next  and  pin  them  to  the  diaper. 

Sleeping. 

At  night  all  the  baby  needs  is  a  diaper,  belly-band,  and 
nightgown,  flannel  in  winter  and  nainsook  in  summer. 
In  winter  turn  the  nightgown  up  at  the  bottom,  like  an 
envelope,  to  protect  the  feet. ' 

As  we  have  learned,  it  is  much  better  for  a  baby  to 
sleep  alone.  Grown  people  have  been  known  to  roll  on 
children  during  sleep  and  smother  them;  and  if  an  infant 
sleeps  with  the  mother,  there  is  always  the  temptation  to 
frequent  nursing  at  night. 

The  child's  bed  should  have  a  mattress,  firm,  but  soft ;  a 
rubber  sheet  to  protect  the  mattress  ;  a  very  thin  pillow,  or 
none  at  all,  and  never  a  comforter,  only  blankets  that  can 
wash. 


CARE  OF  CHILDREN  201 

A  tiny,  healthy  baby  should  sleep  nine-tenths  of  the 
time.  At  six  months  old,  two-thirds  of  the  time. 

Never  rock  a  baby  to  sleep. 

Never  give  it  a  "  pacifier." 

Never  let  a  little  child  in  your  charge  stay  up  after 
seven  o'clock. 

The  room  a  child  sleeps  in  should  be  darkened  and 
quiet.  In  crowded  homes  quiet  is  hard  to  secure,  but 
let  every  one  try  to  secure  a  restful  sleeping-place  for 
the  little  members  of  the  family. 

When  a  baby  cries  at  night,  it  is  a  signal  for  help. 
Get  up  and  see  that  the  bedding  is  smooth,  his  hands  and 
feet  warm,  the  diaper  not  soiled  or  wet,  and  the  baby 
comfortable.  Don't  take  him  up,  or  he  will  expect  it. 

Not  only  do  babies  sleep  at  night,  but  they  take  one  or 
two  long  naps  in  the  daytime.  Out  of  doors  is  the  best 
place  for  these  naps.  But  night  or  day,  while  a  child 
sleeps,  have  the  window  open  to  admit  fresh  air. 

To  Lift  a  Baby. 

Practise  on  a  doll  how  to  lift  a  baby  in  the  right  way. 
With  the  right  hand  grasp  clothing  below  the  feet.  Slip 
the  left  hand  beneath  the  infant's  body  and  head.  It  is 
then  raised  on  the  left  arm,  and  the  entire  spine  is  sup- 
ported. 

How  to  Give  a  Baby  Air  in  Bad  or  Very  Cold  Weather. 

Dress  him  as  if  he  were  going  out,  and  then  open  the 
windows.  Place  the  carriage  or  crib  near  the  window, 
but  not  in  a  draft.  So  long  as  the  baby  is  out  of  a 
draft  and  away  from  the  dampness,  it  will  do  him  good. 
A  veil  is  not  necessary  if  he  is  n't  in  a  draft,  and  in  the 
street  keep  the  sun  from  his  eyes  rather  than  use  a 
veil. 


202      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Washing  a  Baby's  Clothes. 

A  baby's  band,  shirt,  dress  and  stockings  should  be 
washed  every  day.  No  starch,  bluing  or  soap  powders 
should  be  used.  Especially  is  this  true  in  washing  the 
diapers,  as  they  might  chafe  and  poison  the  skin  of  a 
small  infant. 

The  flannels  have  to  be  washed  with  care  to  prevent 
shrinking.  All  flannels  should  be  washed  and  rinsed  in 
tepid  water.  (See  Laundry  Lesson.)  The  flannels 
should  be  stretched  into  shape  before  being  left  to  dry, 
and  not  dried  near  the  fire. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
FOOD  FOR  INFANTS 

It  is  seldom  a  lack  of  love,  but  often  a  lack  of  knowl- 
edge, on  the  part  of  the  homemaker,  that  compels  a  child 
to  face  life  handicapped  because  of  a  weak  body.  Moth- 
ers and  big  sisters  must  learn  that  love  will  not  excuse 
them.  "  All  breaches  of  the  law  of  health  are  physical 
sins."  We  sin  against  an  irresponsible  child  when  we 
allow  it  to  eat  the  wrong  food  or  unclean  food,  or  to 
eat  any  food  at  the  wrong  time. 

This  fact  interests  the  world,  for  weak  children  grow 
into  useless  citizens ;  and  the  strength  of  a  child  and 
the  value  of  a  citizen  depend  largely  upon  the  food  that 
is  given  to  the  baby  when  he  is  too  young  to  select  for 
himself. 

Milk. 

Milk  appears  to  be  all  liquid,  but  in  the  stomach  it  be- 
comes partly  solid.  It  has  in  it  every  kind  of  food  that 
a  baby  requires.  It  is  thirteen  parts  solid  and  eighty- 
seven  parts  water.  The  solid  parts  are  protein,  fat  (or 
the  cream),  sugar  (or  the  whey  of  the  milk),  and  salts. 
The  fat  feeds  the  nerves,  gives  heat,  and  may  be  stored 
for  future  use ;  the  sugar  gives  heat  and  energy ;  the 
proteids  give  growth  to  the  blood  cells  and  the  muscles; 
the  salts  help  the  growth  of  the  bones.  An  infant  cannot 
digest  its  food  without  water,  nor  can  it  get  rid  of  waste 
material.  Milk,  as  we  know,  is  the  first  food  for  animals, 
including  human  beings ;  and  as  it  is  the  only  food  taken 

203 


204      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

for  the  first  five  or  six  months,  the  importance  of  its 
preparation  can  be  readily  seen.  In  France,  it  is  against 
the  law  to  give  solid  food  to  children  under  a  year  with- 
out a  doctor's  prescription. 

Let  every  girl  have  the  fact  firmly  fixed  in  her  mind 
that  during  the  first  three  months  of  a  baby's  life  it  needs 
perfect  care,  more  so  than  at  any  future  time.  A  wrong 
start  may  mean  a  long  life  of  suffering,  as  young  life  is  so 
delicate  that  the  body  is  unable  to  resist  hurtful  things. 
Bad  milk  is  the  easiest  way  to  start  the  baby  wrong. 
Impure  milk  is  poison  to  an  infant.  This  danger  is  one 
of  the  reasons  why  mothers  are  urged  to  nurse  their 
children,  rather  than  give  them  cow's  milk ;  for  the  moth- 
er's milk  is  fresh  and  pure,  whereas,  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  buy  cow's  milk  that  has  not  been  kept  at  least 
twenty-four  hours.  A  healthy  mother's  milk  is  free  from 
the  danger  of  bacteria,  which  means  it  is  clean  milk; 
impure  milk  is  milk  in  which  the  bacteria  are  multiplying. 

Flies  in  milk-shops  are  apt  to  do  more  harm  than  flies 
in  other  food-shops  in  the  same  neighborhood.  The 
reason  for  this  is  because  milk  (especially  in  summer)  is 
an  excellent  medium  for  bacteria. 

Milk  is  more  easily  infected  than  many  other  foods, 
whether  flies  drink  it  or  fall  into  it.  The  same  flies  that 
spoil  the  milk  by  infection  may  walk  on  meat  and  not 
poison  it. 

Knowing  these  facts,  every  girl  will  see  that  a  mother 
will  nurse  her  baby  if  it  is  possible  for  her  to  do  so. 
There  are  handicapped  babies  who  must  eat  from  a  bottle  ; 
we  must  help  them. 

It  is  often  the  work  of  the  big  sister  in  the  family  to 
prepare  the  baby's  food ;  this  chapter  is  not  intended 
to  teach  what  food  should  be  given  to  the  infant 
at  a  certain  age,  but  how  to  prepare  any  food  that  is 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  205 

given,  so  that  it  may  be  pure  and  clean  when  it  reaches 
the  baby's  stomach. 

There  are  many  things  that  the  girls  in  the  family 
can  learn  about  milk.  One  is  to  know  bad,  from  good, 
milk.  If  you  see  any  sediment  or  dirt  in  the  bottom  of 
a  glass,  or  in  the  bottle  of  milk,  do  not  use  the  milk ;  that 
sediment  is  dirt  and  has  already  begun  to  poison  the  milk. 
But  unfortunately,  a  great  deal  of  dirty  milk  looks  clean. 
Bacteria  are  tiny  living  things  that  poison  milk.  These 
bacteria  microbes  are  too  small  for  any  one  to  see  without 
a  microscope.  There  are  thousands  of  them  in  one  drop 
of  bad  milk,  and  they  increase  very  rapidly,  not  only  be- 
fore you  give  the  milk  to  the  baby  but  after  it  is  in  the 
baby's  stomach.  All  cow's  milk  contains  germs,  even 
when  handled  carefully ;  but  they  may  be  harmless  germs, 
and  if  the  milk  is  kept  cold  they  will  not  increase.  Many 
germs  are  harmless ;  some  simply  make  the  milk  sour, 
while  others  produce  typhoid  fever,  diarrhea,  and  tu- 
berculosis. A  single  microbe,  can  in  twenty-four  hours 
increase  to  more  than  ten  billion.  Loose  milk  is  the 
most  likely  to  have  poison  bacteria  in  it.  If  any  girl  will 
stand  for  fifteen  minutes  at  the  door  of  a  grocery,  where 
loose  milk  is  sold,  she  will  see  how  often  the  lid  of 
the  can  is  lifted,  how  many  chances  the  dusty  air  has 
to  enter,  and  flies  to  light  on  the  milk.  A  fly  puts  its 
feet  for  a  few  seconds  into  the  milk  and  flies  away, 
leaving  one  tiny  spot  behind,  and  that  spot  may  increase 
into  millions  of  microbes.  Therefore  buy  only  bottled 
milk  which  has  been  kept  from  contact  with  hands,  insects, 
and  other  impurities.  Bacteria  multiply  not  only  when 
milk  is  in  a  dusty  place  but  when  it  is  in  a  warm  place. 

Having  bought  the  milk  in  the  bottle,  as  free  from 
germs  as  possible,  take  it  at  once  to  a  clean,  cold  place 
until  you  are  ready  to  use  it.  The  delay  in  putting  the 


206      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

milk  in  a  cold  place  is  often  the  reason  for  sour  milk. 
It  is  so  easy  for  a  girl,  after  she  has  purchased  the 
milk,  to  let  the  bottle  stand  in  the  sun,  near  the  stove 
or  on  the  kitchen  table,  and  then  make  the  excuse,  "  I 
thought  some  one  would  put  it  in  the  ice-box."  Every 
girl  who  purchases  milk  should  feel  responsible  for  it 
until  it  is  in  a  clean,  cold  place  and  sealed  against  the 
air  and  insect  life. 

There  are  many  ways  of  keeping  milk  sweet  and  clean, 
even  if  you  have  not  an  ice-box.  For  example,  take  an 
old  pail  with  a  cover,  make  a  hole  in  the  bottom,  put  a 
piece  of  ice  in  the  pail  and  the  milk  bottle  on  the  ice. 
Put  the  cover  on  the  pail,  and  throw  a  clean  blanket  over 
the  whole.  Place  this  simple  ice-box  in  a  pan,  so  that 
when  the  ice  drains  through  the  hole  in  the  pail  the 
water  will  not  go  on  to  the  floor.  Do  not  forget  that 
your  pail  and  the  blanket  over  it  must  be  kept  scrupu- 
lously clean. 

There  are  many  things  that  every  girl  may  learn  on 
this  subject  of  milk,  and  a  few  terms  with  which  every 
homemaker  should  make  herself  familiar. 

"Modified  Milk":  To  modify  milk  means  to  make 
the  cow's  milk  as  nearly  like  the  mother's  milk  as  possible. 
Mother's  milk  is  very  much  weaker  than  cow's  milk,  or, 
as  the  latter  is  called,  "  whole  milk."  For' example,  there 
is  three  times  as  much  protein  in  cow's  milk  as  in 
mother's  milk  for  a  little  baby  four  or  five  days  old. 
You  cannot  give  a  tiny  baby  "  whole  milk  "  direct  from 
the  cow  ;  it  must  be  weakened  so  that  there  will  be  only 
one  part  milk  and  three  parts  water.  As  a  baby  gets 
stronger  more  milk  and  less  water  is  used,  until  at 
last,  when  the  child  is  nine  to  twelve  months  old,  it 
can  take  the  cow's  milk  without  any  water. 

There  are  many  different  ways  of  preparing  or  modify- 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  207 

ing  milk:  milk  and  water;  barley  water  and  milk;  oat- 
meal, and  other  preparations  that  doctors  may  decide  are 
the  right  food  for  different  children  at  different  ages. 
The  proportions  used  in  these  preparations  are  called 
"  formulas,"  and  any  mother  or  big  sister,  living  in  our 
cities,  who  wants  to  know  how  to  feed  a  baby  can  find 
out  at  a  milk  station. 

Take  the  infant  there;  it  will  be  weighed,  examined 
and  its  age  asked.  The  doctor,  at  the  station,  will 
then  give  the  nurse  just  the  "  formula  "  that  the  baby 
should  have,  and  the  nurse  will  show  the  mother  how  to 
prepare  it.  These  formulas  must  be  worked  out  only  by 
a  doctor  or  a  trained  nurse  who  has  made  this  a  study  for 
years.  Modifying  milk  by  these  formulas  is  a  work  that 
experts  consider  so  necessary  that  many  cities  spend  thou- 
sands of  dollars  a  year  in  establishing  milk  stations  and 
paying  baby  specialists.  If  there  is  no  station  in  your 
city,  take  the  baby  to  a  nurse  or  consult  a  doctor. 
Don't  guess  at  so  important  a  question  as  the  preparation 
of  milk  for  the  baby. 

Taking  it  for  granted,  therefore,  that  no  girl  is  going 
to  work  out  any  formula  without  the  help  of  an  experi- 
enced person,  our  lesson  will  be  simply  how  to  do  the 
work  after  the  doctor  has  given  the  formula. 

Prepare  the  table  as  for  cooking ;  cover  it  with  clean, 
white  paper,  or  a  perfectly  clean  towel  or  cloth.  All  the 
basins,  bowls,  bottles,  and  -any  utensil  used  for  the  prep- 
aration of  milk,  should  be  used  for  no  other  purpose. 

The  articles  (which  should  be  on  the  table  before  be- 
ginning to  work)  are  as  follows: 

Six  feeding  bottles.  These  should  be  round,  not  flat, 
so  that  they  \vill  clean  easily,  having  no  inside  corners 
to  collect  the  milk.  Feeding  bottles  are  marked  with  one 
ounce  and  half-ounce  measurements,  which  enable  any 


208      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

one  to  use  them  in  place  of  a  measuring  glass.  They 
come  in  different  sizes,  but  an  eight-ounce  bottle  is  a  good 
size,  for  when  the  baby  is  small  the  bottle  may  be  partly 
filled,  and  when  older  it  may  be  used  entirely  full.  Two 
of  these  bottles  may  be  bought  for  five  cents.  Prepare 
every  morning  as  many  bottles  as  will  be  needed  during 
the  next  twenty-four  hours.  Put  only  food  enough  in 
each  bottle  for  one  feeding. 

Have  also  on  the  table  rubber  nipples,  with  a  small 
hole  at  the  end  so  that  the  milk  will  not  rush  too  fast 
into  the  tiny  stomach.  These  should  be  of  black  rubber 
which  go  over  the  neck  of  the  bottle.  A  rubber  feeding 
tube  should  never  be  used. 

A  pitcher  is  needed  in  which  to  mix  the  food.  If  pos- 
sible, have  this  of  glass,  as  germs  do  not  collect  on  glass 
as  readily  as  on  other  material. 

A  glass  funnel,  to  be  used  in  pouring  the  milk  prepara- 
tion into  the  bottles,  must  be  at  hand ;  also  corks  for  the 
bottles.  Absorbent  cotton  often  is  used,  but  corks  can 
be  boiled  every  day  and  are  cheaper.  A  bottle  brush, 
some  bicarbonate  of  soda,  or  if  that  is  not  convenient, 
common  salt;  a  fine  wire  strainer  (some  use  gauze  to 
strain  the  barley  water,  but  a  fine  wire  strainer  is  easy 
to  wash  and  to  keep  clean),  a  saucepan,  sugar,  a  teaspoon, 
barley  (prepared  barley  is  good,  but  many  doctors  use 
ordinary  clean  store  barley),  a  glass,  and  a  pint  bottle  of 
milk. 

After  each  feeding,  bottles  and  nipples  must  be  rinsed 
in  cold  water,  then  the  bottle  left  filled  with  cold  water  (a 
little  bicarbonate  of  soda  may  be  added),  and  the  nipple 
placed  in  a  glass  of  cold  water  with  half  a  teaspoonful 
of  salt  added.  Hot  water  will  sour  any  milk  that  has 
stuck  to  the  bottle  or  the  nipple.  Corks  should  stay  in  a 
glass  of  water  when  not  in  use. 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  209 

Bottles,  corks,  and  nipples  should  be  thoroughly  washed 
once  a  day  with  hot  water,  soap  and  soda.  Use  the  brush 
for  the  inside  of  the  bottle,  and  turn  the  nipple  inside  out, 
washing  it  thoroughly.  When  nipples  are  new,  boil  them 
for  at  least  ten  minutes. 

The  time  has  now  come  to  prepare  the  baby's  food. 
This  should  be  done  in  the  morning,  early,  and  all  food 
needed  for  the  day  should  be  prepared  at  one  time.  When 
the  table  is  ready  be  sure  that  your  hands  and  apron 
are  clean,  and  that  no  soiled  cloths  are  hanging  over  or 
near  the  table ;  remember  how  sensitive  milk  is  to  any 
microbe. 

Take  the  bottles,  corks  and  nipples  (all  of  which  have 
been  made  perfectly  clean,  but  not  sterilized)  and  put 
them  in  a  clean  pan  of  cold  water ;  place  them  on  the  stove 
and  allow  them  to  stay  there  until  the  water  has  boiled 
twenty  minutes.  Washing  bottles  is  not  sufficient ;  some- 
thing may  stick  to  the  bottle  that  only  boiling  will  loosen. 

The  formula  given  here  is  a  simple  milk  modification. 
We  will  use  it  only  as  an  example : 
Ten  ounces  milk, 
Ten  ounces  barley  water, 
Half  ounce  sugar, 

This  will  fill  five  8-ounce  bottles. 

Take  a  saucepan,  and  with  three  cups  of  water  use  two 
teaspoonf uls  barley  flour.  Put  the  water  on  to  boil ;  mix 
the  barley  flour  with  a  little  cold  water,  to  avoid  lumps, 
and  then  add  it  to  the  saucepan  of  boiling  water.  Add  a 
pinch  of  salt,  and  boil  for  twenty  minutes. 

To  sterilize  milk,  it  must  be  boiled,  but  this  is  not 
necessary  if  the  milk  is  bottled  and  certified.  Scalded 
milk  only  paralyzes  any  possible  germs;  it  does  not  kill 
them. 

When  the  bottles  are  boiled,  pour  off  the  water,  but 


210      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

leave  the  bottles  in  the  saucepan  and  put  the  saucepan 
in  a  dish-pan  of  cold  water  until  the  bottles  are  cool. 

Take  the  corks  from  the  water  with  a  spoon,  never 
with  the  ringers.  Take  the  nipples  from  the  water  in 
the  same  way. 

Now  allow  the  barley  water,  which  has  boiled  twenty 
minutes,  to  cool  while  the  bottles  are  cooling ;  it  will  cool 
more  quickly  if  placed  in  a  pan  of  cold  water. 

When  the  barley  water,  milk  and  bottles  are  cooled, 
pour  ten  ounces  of  milk  into  the  glass  pitcher.  If  there 
is  no  measuring  cup  at  hand,  measure  by  the  extra  feed- 
ing bottle,  filling  it  full  once  and  then  measuring  out  two 
ounces  more.  Dissolve  half  an  ounce,  or  four  teaspoon- 
fuls  of  sugar  in  the  barley  water.  If  you  have  lump 
sugar,  not  granulated,  one  lump  of  sugar  is  equal  to  a 
teaspoon ful,  so  that  four  lumps  will  be  four  teaspoon fuls. 
Strain  this  barley  water  and  sugar  into  the  milk. 

Now  that  the  milk,  barley  water,  sugar  and  the  pinch 
of  salt  are  mixed  together  in  the  glass  pitcher,  pour  this 
mixture  into  the  cooled,  sterilized  bottles.  If  five  bottles 
are  used,  put  four  ounces  of  this  milk  and  water  mixture 
into  each  bottle.  Cork  at  once  and  put  on  the  ice. 

Before  giving  the  bottle  to  the  baby  place  the  bottle  in 
a  saucepan  of  hot  water.  Test  the  milk  by  putting  a  drop 
on  your  wrist ;  if  it  feels  warm  it  is  the  right  temperature. 
Never  touch  your  lips  to  the  bottle. 

If  lime  water  is  required,  buy  it  at  a  drug  store.  A 
large  amount  may  be  purchased  for  five  cents,  and  will 
keep,  in  a  cool  place,  for  three  or  four  weeks.  Lime 
water  is  not  used  in  place  of  water,  but  to  make  the  milk 
more  easily  digested.  It  is  also  used  for  babies  suffer- 
ing with  colic. 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  211 

FOOD  FOR  CHILDREN  BETWEEN  ONE  AND 
FIVE  YEARS  OF  AGE 

List  of  General  Foods  for  Little  Children. 
Cereals. 

Broths.     Beef,  mutton  and  chicken. 
Soups.     Milk  and  vegetable. 
Eggs.     Coddled,  poached,  scrambled,  custard  (never 

fried  eggs). 

Meats.     Broiled,  roasted. 
Fish.     Broiled,  baked  (never  fried). 
Vegetables.     Celery,  peas,  asparagus,  potatoes,  rice, 

macaroni,   cauliflower,   carrots,   beans,   spinach. 

Fruits. 

Stewed  fruits,  apples,  cherries,  grapes,  raspberries, 
strawberries,  blackberries,  dates,  figs,  prunes,  pears, 
peaches. 

Juice  of  oranges,  pineapple. 

Desserts:  Junket,  custards,  plain-fruit  jellies,  fruit 
juice  with  gelatin,  milk  puddings,  tapioca  pudding. 

Food  for  Children  Under  Five  Years. 

There  is  no  subject  more  important  to  study  than  the 
care  of  little  children,  and  food  is  the  most  important 
element  in  that  care.  The  work  in  the  home  falls  so 
heavily  upon  the  mother,  the  cooking  and  serving  the 
meals  take  so  much  of  her  time,  that  the  responsibility 
for  the  younger  children  of  the  family  is  assumed  at 
times  by  the  older  sisters.  The  very  first  thing  that 
these  older  sisters  must  learn  is  that  children  must  be 
saved  from  themselves ;  that  what  they  want  to  eat  and 
what  they  do  not  want  is  of  no  value ;  such  decisions  must 
be  made  by  older  minds  than  theirs.  The  excuse,  "  he 


212      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

will  not  do  it,"  or  "  he  will  not  eat  it,"  or  "  he  wants 
this,"  or  "  he  wants  that "  is  a  silly  excuse  for  any  one 
to  give  for  allowing  a  child  to  have  the  wrong  thing,  or 
to  eat  food  which  injures  the  stomach.  A  child  under 
eight  years  of  age  does  not  know  what  is  good  for  him, 
and  will  almost  invariably  choose  the  wrong  thing.  If 
one  is  not  strong  enough  to  make  her  little  charges 
eat  nourishing  food,  if  she  has  not  the  power  to  keep 
them  from  eating  between  meals,  then  she  is  not  capable 
of  looking  after  children. 

The  work  you  are  to  take  up  now  is  the  preparation  of 
food  for  children  after  the  first  year.  As  we  have  seen, 
children  under  a  year  live  almost  entirely  on  milk.  They 
have  no  teeth  and  cannot  chew  food,  and  neither  has  the 
stomach  the  juices  to  digest  food,  other  than  milk.  Be- 
fore beginning  the  preparation  of  these  foods  for  children, 
over  a  year  old,  let  us  take  up  a  few  of  the  rules  of 
life  that  grown-up  people  must  learn  and  must  teach 
little  children,  in  order  that  the  child's  body  will  be  in  a 
condition  to  turn  the  food  into  fuel.  Just  as  in  the  stove 
lesson  no  coal  was  put  into  the  stove  until  the  stove  was 
in  perfect  working  order. 

CARE  OF  A  CHILD'S  BODY 
Sleep. 

Sleep  is  an  absolute  necessity  to  life,  and  the  amount 
of  time  a  child  spends  in  sleep,  and  the  regularity  with 
which  it  takes  these  rests,  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with 
its  health.  Children  under  three  years  of  age  should 
sleep  twelve  hours  every  night,  and  besides  this  should 
take  a  nap  in  the  daytime.  Not  only  does  the  body  need 
rest,  but  also  the  heart,  the  lungs,  and  the  stomach. 
These  organs  all  work  at  night,  but  they  do  not  work 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  213 

so  hard  as  in  the  daytime.  The  eyes  need  rest,  too,  and 
all  the  nerves  of  the  body  need  to  be  absolutely  quiet  for 
at  least  half  of  the  twenty-four  hours.  Even  if  a  child 
is  able  to  live  with  little  sleep,  and  even  if  he  looks  healthy 
as  a  baby,  he  will  meet  manhood  with  insufficient  strength 
if  he  does  not  have  his  right  amount  of  sleep.  There 
is  no  use  to  feed  a  tired  body ;  it  is  like  piling  coal  into 
a  worn-out  stove. 

Air. 

A  little  child  of  two  or  three  years  has  no  idea  how 
much  air  should  be  in  the  room  when  he  goes  to  bed ; 
this  must  be  decided  by  a  grown  person.  If  you  put 
a  child  to  bed  in  an  overheated,  close  room,  he  will 
wake  up  in  the  morning  more  exhausted  than  when  he 
went  to  bed,  and  will  lose  all  the  feeling  of  refreshment 
which  should  come  after  a  night's  sleep.  One  sign  of  this 
will  be  that  he  will  want  no  breakfast.  The  food  that  a 
child  eats  a't  night  is  not  given  a  chance  to  digest  if  that 
child  sleeps  in  a  close  room.  The  waste  matter  is  not 
thrown  off,  the  system  is  clogged  and  the  child  feels 
heavy,  and  has  no  appetite. 

Exercise. 

Playing  and  running  about  is  the  way  that  children 
exercise,  and  this  exercise  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
digestion.  But  a  big  girl  must  remember  when  she  is 
playing  with  a  child  that  the  exercise  must  not  be  violent. 
A  walk  across  the  room  is  a  long  journey  for  a  baby, 
and  a  walk  a  block  long  is  a  long  journey  for  a  small 
child.  It  is  sometimes  difficult  for  a  grown-up  girl  to 
realize  how  very  delicate  the  muscles  and  nervous  strength 
of  a  child  are ;  if  these  are  overstrained,  if  the  play  is  too 
violent,  it  may  weaken  a  child's  heart  for  the  heart  will 


214      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

pump  hard  and  try  to  keep  the  body  going  when  the  nat- 
ural strength  is  exhausted.  Big  girls  must  never  pull 
little  ones  by  the  arm,  to  make  them  hurry.  Remember 
that  children  cannot  hurry,  and  it  is  cruel  to  try  to  make 
them  walk  fast. 

Bathing. 

One  fact  about  children  is  that  they  never  seem  to 
want  to  be  clean,  especially  little  boys  who  object  even  to 
having  their  hands  and  faces  washed,  and  balk  at  a 
bath  unless  it  means  a  swim  in  the  river.  So  this  part 
of  their  daily  life  must  be  decided  by  some  one  who 
knows  better  than  they. 

We  know  that  a  skin  which  is  not  clean  becomes  in- 
active, and  often  diseased.  It  certainly  would  be  cruel 
to  let  a  child's  skin  get  into  an  unhealthy  condition 
before  the  age  when  he  is  responsible.  The  entire  body 
of  a  child  must  be  washed  with  warm  water,  at  least  once 
a  day,  to  keep  the  skin  active.  Do  not  put  food  into  a 
dirty  body;  the  waste  matter  from  the  pores  of  the  skin 
must  be  washed  away. 

Teeth. 

Every  one  wishes  to  be  as  good-looking  as  possible, 
and  there  is  nothing  that  makes  a  man  or  a  woman  uglier 
than  bad  teeth.  It  is  extremely  cruel  not  to  care  for  the 
teeth  of  a  little  child,  and  to  neglect  them  in  childhood 
means  expense  later  on,  and  very  often  at  a  time  when 
money  is  most  needed  for  other  things.  It  also  means 
indigestion  and  malnutrition,  that  is,  the  food  cannot 
nourish  the  body  unless  the  teeth  are  in  condition  to  do 
their  part.  Brush  a  child's  teeth  every  morning  and 
every  night;  take  it  for  granted  that  he  will  never  want 
them  brushed,  that  he  will  cry  and  do  everything  he  can 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  215 

to  make  you  omit  this  morning  and  evening  duty.  Later 
on,  he  will  thank  you,  if  you  are  faithful.  Good,  firm 
teeth  prepare  the  food  by  chewing  and  breaking  it  thor- 
oughly apart.  Remember  this  is  the  reason  why  we  have 
teeth. 

Habits. 

A  child  comes  into  the  world  with  no  habits,  either 
good  or  bad,  and  his  life  later  on  is  decided  by  what 
habits  are  formed  in  childhood.  A  great  responsibility 
in  the  care  of  a  child  is  to  make  him  form  good,  rather 
than  bad,  habits. 

The  habit  of  liking  the  right,  rather  than  the  wrong 
food  is  accomplished  by  never  giving  the  child  any  wrong 
food.  If  you  hear  a  child  crying  for  tea  and  refusing 
milk,  it  is  because  his  mother  or  some  one  has  given  him 
tea  and  created  in  him  a  taste  for  the  stimulating,  rather 
than  the  nourishing,  drink.  The  habit  of  going  to  bed 
early  is  formed  by  regularity.  If  you  let  a  child  go  to 
bed  one  night  at  seven  o'clock  and  the  next  night  at  ten 
o'clock,  and  at  another  time  allow  him  to  sit  up  until  the 
grown  people  go  to  bed,  how  can  that  child  understand 
that  he  should  go  to  sleep  at  a  specific  hour? 

Food. 

It  is  a  very  common  error  for  grown-up  people  to 
think  that  children  can  eat  "  what  is  on  the  table."  The 
child  sees  certain  foods  that  are  served  three  times  a  day, 
and  naturally  asks  for  them,  often  by  loud  cries.  It  is 
estimated  that  one-half  of  the  cases  of  illness  among 
children  are  the  result  of  eating  this  grown-up  food; 
good  food  for  people  who  have,  their  growth  but  wrong 
for  a  child. 

In  the  first  place,  the  child  lacks  the  strong  teeth  to 


216      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

masticate  the  food.  The  juices  of  the  stomach  in  a 
child  are  very  different  from  those  in  a  grown-up  person  ; 
the  stomach  and  intestines  are  small  and  tender,  as  is  the 
child  itself.  No  one  would  expect  a  baby  of  three  to 
carry  up  the  coal.  Why  should  one  expect  a  tiny  stom- 
ach to  do  hard  work? 

\  A  child  not  only  should  be  prevented  from  eating  the 
wrong  food,  but  he  must  eat  the  right  food.  Big 
people  must  know  how  much  waste  and  water  there  is  in 
each  food, —  what  foods  build  tissue,  what  kind  furnish 
heat,  which  contain  minerals  to  purify  the  blood.  Peo- 
ple in  very  cold  countries  eat  foods  that  contribute  heat. 
Old  people  eat  foods  that  repair  waste.  To  children 
we  give  much  of  the  food  that  contains  protein,  for  that 
makes  muscle  and  tissue  and  provides  the  elements  needed 
for  the  growing  body.  Never  allow  yourself  to  think 
again  that  all  ages  can  be  fed  and  treated  alike.  The 
growing  boy  eats  twice  as  much  food  as  his  grandmother, 
for  she  eats  only  to  provide  heat  and  to  repair  the  waste 
of  the  tissue,  while  he  eats  to  increase  the  weight  and 
height  of  his  body.  The  old  people  feel  cold  when  the 
children  in  the  same  atmosphere  are  too  warm.  That  is 
because  the  circulation  is  slow  in  the  former  and  quick 
and  healthy  in  the  child.  Human  life  is  a  wonderful 
study.  Make  it  such  by  knowing  a  great  deal  about  it. 

Dr.  Rotch,  a  man  who  has  made  a  study  as  to  what 
children  should  eat,  divides  the  child's  life  into  four 
periods.  THE  FIRST  PERIOD  is  the  first  year  of  the  baby's 
existence,  and  in  that  time,  as  we  have  learned,  he  lives 
on  milk.  THE  SECOND  PERIOD  is  from  one  year  to  thirty 
months  old,  and  in  these  months  it  is  very  necessary 
to  have  variety  in  the  food,  always  remembering  that 
the  foods  given  must  contribute  to  growth.  The  child 
is  still  a  baby,  and  its  chief  diet  is  milk,  but  this  may 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  217 

be  varied  with  fruit- juices,  broth,  gruel,  white  potato, 
and  after  eighteen  months,  an  egg.  Increase  the  quan- 
tity of  the  food  only  as  fast  as  the  stomach  of  the  child 
can  digest  it.  THE  THIRD  PERIOD  begins  when  the  child 
is  two  and  a  half  years  old,  and  then  the  child  can 
begin  to  eat  vegetables,  such  as  fresh  squash  and  peas. 
It  may  have  more  kinds  of  fruit,  but  always  cooked 
fruit,  not  raw.  It  also  must  have  more  proteins ;  add  this 
element  by  beginning  to  give  the  child  a  little  bacon 
or  scraped  meat.  Then,  when  the  child  is  three  years 
old  it  may  have  such  meats  as  chicken,  mutton  chop, 
roast  beef  and  beefsteak,  but  these  should  be  cut  into 
very  small  pieces,  with  a  little  salt  added,  but  no  pepper. 
When  a  child  is  three  years  old  it  is  well  to  give  meat 
one  day  and  an  egg  the  next.  A  child  eats  eggs  before 
it  eats  meat;  that  is,  a  child  can  have  eggs  when  it  is  a 
year  and  a  half  old,  but  it  should  not  have  meat  until  it 
is  nearly  three  years  old. 

Dr.  Thompson  gives  the  following  general  rules: 

"  I.  Allow  time  for  meals. 

"  2.  See  that  the  food  is  thoroughly  masticated. 

"  3.  Do  not  allow  nibbling  between  meals. 

"  4.  Do  not  tempt  the  child  with  the  sight  of  rich  and 
indigestible  foods. 

"  5.  Do  not  force  the  child  to  eat  against  its  will,  but 
examine  the  mouth,  which  may  be  sore  from  coming 
teeth,  and  examine  the  food,  which  may  not  be  properly 
cooked  or  flavored.  If  good  food  is  refused  from  peev- 
ishness merely,  remove  it,  and  do  not  offer  it  again  be- 
fore the  next  meal-time. 

"  6.  In  acute  illness,  reduce  and  dilute  the  food  at 
once. 

"  7.  In  very  hot  weather  give  about  one-fourth  or  one- 
third  less  food,  and  offer  more  water." 


218      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Preparation  of  Food. 

.  Gruel.  The  great  point  in  making  cereal  gruel  is  to 
cook  it  thoroughly.  Oatmeal,  farina,  barley,  hominy,  and 
rice  are  the  best  cereals  to  use.  Receipt,  page  290. 

Until  the  child  is  four  years  of  age  milk  forms  the  chief 
part  of  the  diet,  but  after  the  first  year  it  is  used  much 
in  combination  with  other  things. 

Put  milk  in  soups,  in  puddings,  in  gruel,  and  give  a  child 
dried  bread  and  milk  if  he  says  he  is  hungry. 

Never  give  a  child  really  cold  milk;  warm  the  milk  a 
little  for  an  infant  under  two. 

Never  let  any  one,  when  overheated,  drink  cold  milk. 
Milk  is  a  food,  not  a  drink. 

Never  give  a  child  an  egg  until  you  have  tested  it. 
Fried  eggs  and  omelets  are  not  good  for  children.  Soft- 
boiled  eggs  are  the  most  digestible. 

Fruits.  After  a  child  is  a  year  old  you  must  know  how 
to  prepare  for  it,  orange  juice,  stewed  prunes,  and  apples. 

The  utensils  used  in  preparing  food  for  a  child  should 
be  scrupulously  clean.  If  possible,  keep  separate  for  this 
cooking  a  saucepan,  a  double  boiler  and  the  few  other 
needed  utensils. 

Two  or  three  teaspoonsful  of  olive  oil  served  with  food 
each  day  is  very  healthful. 

The  following  are  suggestions  for  the  diet  for  little  chil- 
dren. (All  of  the  receipts  for  these  suggestions  are  in 
the  back  of  this  book.) 

Division  of  Child  Hygiene. 

Diet  for  Child  from  Twelfth  to  Eighteenth  Month 

FIRST    MEAL,   ON   RISING 

(i)  Two  to  three  tablespoons  of  juice  of  a  sweet 
orange,  or  juice  of  six  stewed  prunes,  or  two  tablespoons 
of  pineapple  juice.  • 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  219 

(2)  One  cup  milk  with  either  zwieback,  or  dried  out 
bread. 

Note :  Fruit  must  be  given  either  half  an  hour  before 
or  half  an  hour  after  milk. 

SECOND    MEAL  —  DURING   MORNING 

Milk  alone  or  with  zwieback. 

NOON"  MEAL 

(1)  Small  cup  of  meat  soup  or  broth. 

(2)  Dried  bread  may  be  added. 

Note :     Soup  may  be  made  of  chicken,  beef  or  mutton. 

FOURTH    MEAL AFTERNOON 

Milk  with  or  without  swieback. 

EVENING    MEAL 

(i)  One  half  cup  thick  gruel  mixed  with  one  half  cup 
of  milk,  from  top  of  bottle.  Zwieback. 

Total  milk  in  twenty-four  hours,  one  quart  or  thirty- 
two  ounces. 

Diet  for  Child  from  Eighteenth  to  Twenty-fourth 
Month 

BREAKFAST 

(1)  Juice  of  one  sweet  orange,  or  strained  pulp  of  six 
stewed  prunes,  or  pulp  of  baked  pear. 

(2)  A  cereal,  such  as  cream  of  wheat,  oatmeal,  farina 
or  hominy  with  top  milk.     These  must  be  cooked  until 
like  gruel. 

FORENOON 

A  glass  of  milk  with  zwieback,  or  dried  bread. 
(This  is  better  than  crackers  for  a  very  little  child.) 


220      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

DINNER 

(1)  Broth  or  soup  made  of  beef,  mutton  or  chicken, 
and  thickened  with  peas,  farina,  sago  or  rice,  or  occasion- 
ally, 

Beef  juice  with  dried  bread,  or  clear  vegetable  soup 
with  yolk  of  egg,  or  on  another  day, 

Egg  coddled,  with  bread,  or  the  egg  poached,  with  a 
glass  of  milk. 

(2)  Dessert :  apple  sauce,  prune  pulp,  or  junket. 
Do  not  give  milk  at  dinner  with  beef  juice. 

(A  child  can  often  digest  junket  when  its  stomach  will 
not  retain  milk.) 

SUPPER 

Glass  of  warm  milk,  with  zwieback  and  custard  or 
stewed  fruit. 

Total  milk  in  twenty-four  hours,  one  quart. 

Diet  for  Child  from  Tivo  to  Three  Years 

BREAKFAST 

(1)  Juice  of  one  sweet  orange,  or  pulp  of  six  stewed 
prunes,  or  a  little  pineapple  juice,  or  apple  sauce. 

(2)  A  cereal,  such  as  oatmeal,  farina,  cream  of  wheat, 
hominy   or   steamed   rice,   slightly   sweetened   or   salted, 
with  the  addition  of  top  milk.     Or, 

A  soft  boiled  or  poached  egg  with  dried  bread  or  toast. 

(3)  A  glass  of  milk. 

Note:  Milk  and  raw  fruit- juice  must  not  be  given  at 
the  same  time. 

DINNER 

(1)  Broth  or  soup  made  of  chicken,  mutton,  or  beef, 
thickened  with  arrowroot,  spaghetti,  rice  or  with  the  addi- 
tion of  the  yolk  of  egg  or  toast  squares.     Or, 

(2)  Scraped  beef  or  white  meat  of  chicken  or  boiled 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  221 

fish,  never  fried  (small  amount),  and  mixed  with  mashed 
or  baked  potato.  Fresh  peas  or  spinach,  or  carrots  may 
be  given,  but  must  first  be  pressed  through  a  sieve. 

(3)  Dessert:  apple  sauce,  baked  apple,  rice  pudding, 
junket  or  custard. 

SUPPER 

(1)  A  cereal  or  egg  (if  egg  has  not  been  taken  with 
breakfast),  with  stale  bread  or  toast.     Corn  bread  with 
milk  or  with  cocoa  or  bread  and  custard. 

Never  give  a  child  under  three  meat  every  day;  alter- 
nate with  eggs,  alternate  potato  with  macaroni,  or  rice. 

(2)  Stewed  fruit. 

EDiet  for  Child  from  Three  to  Six  Years 
BREAKFAST 

(1)  Fruits :  an  orange,  apple,  pear  or  stewed  prunes. 

(2)  Cereal:  oatmeal,  hominy,  rice  or  wheat  prepara- 
tions, well  cooked  and  salted,  with  thin  cream  and  sugar, 
or 

Egg:  soft  boiled,  poached,  or  scrambled. 

(3)  Milk  or  cocoa. 

DINNER 

(1)  Meat:  chicken  or  beefsteak,  or  roast  beef,  or  lamb 
chops,  or  fish. 

(2)  Vegetables:   spinach  or   carrots   or   string  beans, 
peas,  cauliflower-tops,  mashed  or  baked  potatoes,  beets 
or   lettuce    (without   vinegar),    macaroni,    or    spaghetti. 
Bread  and  butter  (not  fresh  bread  or  rolls). 

(3)  Dessert:  custard,  rice,  bread  or  tapioca  pudding. 
Home-made  ice  cream  (once  a  week),  corn-starch  pud- 
ding (chocolate  or  other  flavor),  stewed  prunes  or  baked 
apple. 


222      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Never  give  a  child  bought  ice  cream,  the  milk  from 
which  it  is  made  may  not  be  fresh ;.  the  freezer  may  not 
have  been  clean ;  and  no  one  can  know  exactly  from  what 
the  flavoring  is  made. 

SUPPER- 

1 i )  Milk  toast  or  Graham  crackers  and  milk.     Or  a 
thick  soup,  such  as  pea,  or  cream  of  celery,  with  bread 
and  butter.     Or  a  cereal  and  thin  cream  with  bread  and 
butter. 

(2)  Dessert:  stewed  fruit;  custard  or  plain  pudding; 
jam  or  jelly  (homemade). 

From  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 

PAMPHLET  ON  "  FOOD  FOR  YOUNG 
CHILDREN  " 

"  At  the  close  of  the  day  the  mother  might  ask  herself 
these  questions. 

•  "  .1.  Did  each  child  take  a  quart  of  milk  in  one  form  or 
another  ? 

"  2.  Have  I  taken  pains  to  see  that  the  milk  that  comes 
to  my  house  has  been  handled  in  a  clean  way? 

"3.  If  I  was  obliged  to  serve  skim  milk  for  the  sake  of 
cleanliness  or  economy,  did  I  supply  a  little  extra  fat  in 
some  other  way  ? 

"  4.  Were  the  fats  which  I  gave  the  child  of  the  whole- 
some kind  found  in  milk,  cream,  butter,  and  salad  oils; 
or  the  unwholesome  kind  found  in  doughnuts  and  other 
fried  foods? 

"  5.  Did  I  make  use  of  all  skim  milk  by  using  it  in  the 
preparation  of  cereal  mushes,  puddings,  or  otherwise? 

"  6.  Were  all  cereal  foods  thoroughly  cooked  ? 


FOOD  FOR  INFANTS  223 

"  7.  Did  I  keep  in  mind  that  while  cereals  are  good  food 
in  themselves,  they  do  not  take  the  place  of  meat,  milk, 
eggs,  fruit,  and  vegetables? 

"  8.  Did  I  keep  in  mind  that  children  who  do  not  have 
plenty  of  fruit  and  vegetables  lack  the  minerals  and  the 
vegetable  acids  needed  for  laxative  effects  ? 

"  9.  Did  each  child  have  an  egg  or  an  equivalent  amount 
of  meat,  fish  or  poultry? 

'''  10.  Were  vegetables  and  fruits  on  the  child's  bill  of 
fare  once  during  the  day? 

"  II.  Did  either  the  fruit  or  the  vegetable  disagree  with 
the  child?  If  so,  ought  I  to  have  cooked  it  more  thor- 
oughly, chopped  it  more  finely,  or  have  removed  the 
skin  and  seeds? 

"  12.  Was  the  child  given  sweets  between  meals,  or 
any  thing  that  tempted  him  to  eat  when  he  was  not 
liungry  ? 

"  13.  Was  he  allowed  to  eat  sweets  when  he  should 
have  been  eating  cereals,  meat,  eggs,  fruit  or  drinking 
milk? 

"  14.  Were  sweets  given  to  the  child  at  the  end  of  the 
meal  unmixed  with  fat  and  not  highly  flavored? 

"15.  Was  the  child  made  to  eat  slowly  and  chew  his 
food  properly  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XVII 

PART  I.     PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  AND 
PERSONAL  HYGIENE 

PART  II.     HOME  CARE  OF  THE  SICK 

PART  I 

The  knowledge  of  disease  is  not  only  needed  in  times 
of  sickness,  but  every  one  should  have  certain  general 
information  in  order  to  recognize  illness ;  and  to  prevent 
its  spread  from  one  member  of  the  family  to  another. 

A  homemaker  ignorant  of  what  causes  disease  and  what 
will  prevent  it  unconsciously  can  do  a  great  deal  of  harm. 
Almost  every  detail  of  housekeeping  has  some  connection 
with  health.  Think  how  much  harm  could  be  done  if  a 
homemaker  did  not  know  that  to  leave  food  exposed  to 
dust  and  insects  might  easily  cause  infection ;  or  if  she 
did  not  know  that  in  impure  drinking  water  are  typhoid 
germs,  or  if  she  did  not  clean  the  sinks,  drains,  dishes, 
cooking  utensils,  and  dish  towels  very  thoroughly,  know- 
ing the  danger  from  possible  germ  life. 

Every  girl  must  know  the  danger  to  healthy  people  if 
they  are  allowed  to  sleep  in  the  bedclothes  that  have  been 
used  by  a  sick  member  of  the  family :  and  that  the 
clothes  of  a  fever  patient  must  be  washed  separately  from 
the  family  wash. 

When  any  member  of  the  family  is  really  sick,  a 
doctor  and  a  nurse  must  be  called  in  at  once,  then  the 
members  of  the  family  will  be  told  exactly  what  to  do. 

In  this  chapter  we  are  going  to  talk  about  hygiene,  the 
science  of  health,  and  of  those  acts  of  health  prevention 

224 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  225 

which  every  woman  and  girl  can  perform  for  herself. 
We  will  also  find  out  how  much  home  nursing  and  care  of 
the  sick  a  girl  should  know  without  pretending  to  be  a 
trained  nurse. 

First,  take  up  the  subject  of 

Personal  Hygiene. 

Hygiene  is  the  science  of  health.  Sanitation  means 
applying  this  science  in  the  preservation  of  health,  and 
personal  hygiene  has  to  do  with  those  principles  or  rules 
that  apply  to  the  care  of  the  body. 

Sometimes,  when  we  read  or  hear  of  the  simple  rules 
that  are  necessary  for  health,  we  want  to  say,  "  I  always 
do  that,"  or  "  I  never  do  that " ;  but  the  most  careful 
people  in  the  world  have  to  be  reminded  constantly  of  the 
everyday  acts  that  affect  health,  and  the  girl  is  in  danger 
who  is  too  sure  of  her  knowledge  on  this  subject,  or  who 
depends  upon  newspapers  or  quack  doctors  to  give  her 
prescriptions  for  health.  Nature  will  do  her  part  in  ward- 
ing off  disease  and  discomfort  if  we  consistently  follow 
her  rules.  This  is  not  easy,  for  it  means  daily  self-con- 
trol, courage  often  to  go  contrary  to  our  neighbors'  ideas, 
and  character  strong  enough  conscientiously  to  perform 
dull  duties  every  day. 

In  the  first  chapter  is  a  description  of  the  house  and 
its  conformity  to  all  the  rules  of  household  hygiene  or 
sanitation.  We  found  that  a  house,  to  be  sanitary,  must 
have  space,  cleanliness,  air  and  sunlight,  and  that  every 
part  of  it  must  be  in  perfect  repair  and  working  order. 
In  this  chapter  we  are  to  consider  how  to  keep  in 
order  the  health  of  the  people  who  live  in  these  houses. 
A  house  consists  of  walls,  ceilings,  floors  and  the  fur- 
nishings. A  home  means  the  house  and  the  people  who 
live  in  it. 


226      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

The  Skin. 

Every  girl  wants  a  clear  skin.  This  is  a  mark  of 
beauty ;  the  skin  more  than  anything  else  is  a  sign  of 
bodily  health  or  disease.  A  smooth,  clear  skin  means  that 
the  tiny  blood  vessels  are  in  good  condition;  that  the 
circulation  is  good;  that  the  right  nourishment  is  being 
supplied  to  the  body  and  that  the  digestion  is  normal. 
A  dull,  sallow  skin,  or  pimples  on  the  face,  indicate  that 
the  blood  or  circulation  is  out  of  order. 

To  keep  the  skin  in  perfect  condition : 

First,  Food.  Eat  the  right  food  at  meals  and  eat  it 
slowly. 

Eat  nothing  between  meals. 

Study  what  is  the  right  food  and  take  pains  to  get  it. 
Do  not  rely  too  much  on  advertisements.  Remember  that 
the  writers  of  most  advertisements  are  interested  only  in 
selling  their  goods.  They  do  not  care  about  you  or  your 
health. 

Do  not  drink  tea  or  coffee  while  you  are  getting  your 
growth. 

Second,  Air.  Fresh  air  contains  oxygen.  We  must 
breathe  a  great  deal  of  oxygen  into  our  lungs  to  make  the 
skin  clear  and  cheeks  red. 

Impure  air  is  filled  with  poisonous  substances.  It  con- 
tains the  refuse  from  the  lungs ;  it  is  filled  with  dust  and 
germs,  and  is  lacking  in  oxygen. 

It  is  bad  to  breathe  impure  air  as  it  is  to  drink  impure 
water.  You  would  not  think  of  bathing  in  the  water 
another  person  had  bathed  in,  but  you  forget  that  in  a  close 
room  filled  with  people  we  breathe  into  our  lungs'  the  air 
which  other  people  have  exhaled. 

Bad  air,  or  not  enough  air,  affects  digestion  and  cir- 
culation, and  shows  in  the  skin.  The  signs  are :  the  disap- 
pearance of  bright  coloring  suggestive  of  health,  pimples, 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  227 

dullness  of  skin  and  a  puffy  look,  especially  around  the 
eyes. 

The  rebuilding  of  the  body  is  largely  done  at  night  dur- 
ing sleep,  and  oxygen  is  necessary  for  the  process  of 
rebuilding.  For  this  reason  the  window  must  be  open  in 
a  bedroom  at  night  (winter  as  well  as  summer),  and 
many  times  during  the  day  the  air  in  a  room  should  be 
changed. 

Third,  Sun.  In  the  first  chapter  you  learned  to  have 
your  house  face  south  or  west,  so  as  to  get  the  sunny 
exposures. 

Disease  germs  live  in  dark  places  away  from  the  sun. 
Sun  is  a  disinfectant.  A  room  with  sun,  therefore,  is  a 
more  healthy  room  than  one  without.  There  have  been 
cases  of  face  eruptions  traced  to  living  in  sunless  rooms. 
If  you  cannot  have  sun  in  your  room,  you  can  have  air, 
and  then  plan  to  be  out  in  the  sunlight  as  much  as  possible. 

Fourth,  Exercise.  Exercise  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
a  good  circulation ;  and  good  circulation  is  necessary  to 
carry  off  the  waste  matter  of  the  body,  otherwise  this 
waste  matter  will  clog  and  poison  your  systems.  Noth- 
ing will  ruin  the  skin  more  quickly  than  this  kind  of 
poison. 

Choose  walking,  when  possible,  rather  than  riding  in  a 
subway  or  a  hot  trolley-car.  Remember  you  are  aiding 
circulation  in  the  one  case  and  retarding  it  in  the  other. 

Fifth,  The  Morning  Bat-h.  The  loose  dirt  which  we 
accumulate  from  the  outside  is,  perhaps,  blacker,  but  it  is 
not  more  dangerous  than  the  dirt,  consisting  of  the  waste 
matter  which  is  given  off  through  the  skin,  and  which  can 
be  partially  absorbed  again  to  poison  the  body.  The  body 
should  be  bathed  every  day. 

Perspiration  and  oil  are  emitted  through  the  pores  of 
the  body;  if  not  washed  or  rubbed  off,  this  hardens  and 


228      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

clogs  the  pores ;  it  also  gives  off  a  disagreeable  odor. 

Do  not  wash  only  —  rub  the  skin  hard  every  day.  This 
is  good  for  the  nerves  of  the  skin.  The  exercise  makes 
them  sound,  healthy  and  hardy. 

The  good  or  bad  treatment  of  the  skin  has  a  decided 
effect  on  general  health. 

Remember : 

We  breathe  through  the  skin  as  well  as  through  the 
nose. 

We  feel  through  the  skin. 

The  skin  must  be  clean  so  that  nothing  will  obstruct  it 
in  throwing  obnoxious  matter  and  in  taking  in  oxygen. 

Absence  of  a  bathroom  in  the  house  is  no  reason  for 
not  bathing.  A  good  way  to  take  a  bath  without  a  bath- 
room is : 

Two  basins  of  water,  one  warm  and  one  cold,  a  wash 
cloth  for  each,  soap  and  a  towel.  Stand  in  a  third  basin  or 
tin  tub.  With  the  warm  water  and  soap  wash  every  part 
of  the  body.  With  the  cold  water  rinse  the  body.  Dry 
and  rub  hard  with  a  coarse  towel.  Rinse  out  all  basins, 
wash  out  cloths  and  put  in  sun  to  dry.  Never  allow  any 
one  else  to  use  your  wash-cloths  or  towel. 

Cosmetics. 

It  is  natural  that  every  girl  should  want  to  make  her 
skin  as  lovely  as  possible,  but  it  is  by  air,  sun,  good  circu- 
lation and  good  digestion  that  this  beauty  will  come ;  not 
by  preparations  and  powders  bought  at  the  drug-store. 
These  powders  often  contain  lead,  which  makes  ugly 
blackheads  in  the  skin.  Also,  lead  poisoning  may  enter 
the  body  through  the  pores  and  affect  the  muscles 
and  the  digestion.  Even  if  there  is  no  lead  in  face  pow- 
ders, they  often  contain  ingredients  which  in  time  make 
eruptions  on  the  skin. 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  229 

Hands  and  Nails. 

Hands  must  be  washed  just  before  cooking  or  be- 
fore touching  food.  Also  wash  the  hands  after  going 
to  the  toilet,  after  arranging  the  hair  or  putting  on  shoes 
and  stockings.  To  avoid  chapped  hands,  dry  thoroughly 
after  washing  and  at  night  rub  with  a  pure  cold  cream. 

It  is  not  enough  to  manicure  the  nails  once  in  a  while. 
Keep  the  nails  moderately  short  and  always  have  an  or- 
ange-stick conveniently  near  the  wash-basin,  so  that  the 
nails  may  be  cleaned  each  time  the  hands  are  washed. 

Hair. 

A  very  careful  cook  will  always  wear  a  cap  when  she 
is  in  the  kitchen.  This  is  to  prevent  any  possibility  of 
loose  hairs  getting  into  the  food.  If  no  cap  is  worn  a 
careful  cook  will  be  sure  that  her  hair  is  neat  and  held 
securely  in  place.  No  one  should  ever  comb  her  hair 
in  the  kitchen,  or  in  the  room  where  the  family  eats, 
nor  should  she  wash  her  hair  in  the  rooms  where  food  is 
prepared  or  eaten.  A  careful  housecleaner  will  cover 
her  hair  with  a  cap  while  sweeping  or  dusting. 

It  is  well  for  a  girl  to  remember  that  every  time  she 
goes  out  of  doors  without  a  hat,  the  air  blowing  through 
her  hair  gives  it  strength  and  beauty.  Sun,  air  and 
a  good  brushing  will  keep  the  hair  in  such  good  condition 
that  a  wet  shampoo  will  be  necessary  only  once  a  month. 
The  best  shampoo  for  a  healthy  scalp  is  hot  soapsuds 
made  of  pure  unscented  soap.  Do  not  rub  the  soap 
directly  on  the  head  as  this  makes  the  hair  sticky.  Make 
soapsuds,  wash  the  hair  in  these  suds  and  then  rinse  in 
clear  hot  water.  Soap  again  to  make  sure  all  grease  is  out 
and  this  time  rinse  thoroughly  in  three  or  four  waters. 

Once  a  week  wash  out  the  hair  brush  and  comb  in  hot 
water  with  a  little  ammonia  in  the  water.  The  ammonia 


230      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

is  needed  to  cut  the  grease  which  comes  from  the  hair. 
Do  not  put  the  handle  of  the  brush  in  the  water. 

Teeth. 

There  is  not  a  girl  studying  this  book  who  does  not 
know  that  she  should  brush  her  teeth  morning  and  night 
with  her  own  tooth-brush,  using  tooth-powder  when  pos- 
sible, and  rinsing  the  mouth  with  fresh  water  after  each 
brushing.  One  must  not  forget  that  much  of  the  disease 
from  which  people  suffer  comes  from  unclean  and  de- 
cayed teeth.  Bad  teeth  are  breeding-places  for  bacteria 
and  germs.  These  disease  germs  get  mixed  with  the 
food  and  then  get  into  the  stomach  and  intestines,  where 
they  often  cause  disease.  Bad  teeth  can  poison  the  entire 
system  ;  cause  disease  and  even  death.  If  every  girl  could 
only  realize  this,  she  would  never  go  to  school  without 
brushing  her  teeth,  and  never  go  to  bed  leaving  particles 
of  food  in  her  mouth  to  cause  dangerous  decay. 

Feet. 

A  strong  foot  is  a  foot  with  the  muscles  in  a  healthy 
condition.  The  widest  part  of  the  foot  is  at  the  toes. 
Let  any  girl  spread  her  foot  out  with  the  shoe  off,  and 
look  at  the  foot  and  then  at  the  shoe,  and  she  will  see 
that  the  shoe  is  usually  not  at  all  the  shape  of  the  foot. 
The  foot,  to  a  certain  extent  can  be  contracted  but  when 
it  is  crowded  into  a  pointed  shoe,  the  muscles  are  first 
hampered  and  finally  rendered  almost  useless.  The  toes 
have  no  freedom  of  action  and  the  muscles  no  exercise. 
The  foot  loses  its  spring,  becomes  weak,  and  "  flat- 
foot  "  is  often  the  result.  The  temptation  to  buy  pointed 
shoes  is  apparently  hard  to  resist;  they  are  considered 
fashionable  by  some  people,  and  the  shoemakers  cater  to 
these  people  by  making  pointed  shoes  cheaper  than  good, 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  231 

broad  ones ;  but  it  is  money  well  spent  when  a  girl  buys 
shoes  with  broad  toes,  even  if  she  has  to  sacrifice  some- 
thing to  get  them. 

If  a  girl  changes  her  stockings  at  least  every  other  day 
in  winter,  and  every  day  in  warm  weather,  she  will  find 
her  feet  keep  warmer  in  winter  and  cooler  in  summer 
and  grow  less  tired.  It  is  very  simple  to  wash  out  stock- 
ings. They  do  not  need  to  be  ironed,  only  well  dried. 

Bathe  the  feet  in  hot  water  when  tired ;  a  little  cooking 
soda  in  the  water  is  a  good  thing.  Wash  the  feet  in 
cold  water  every  morning.  This  will  keep  the  muscles 
hard  and  the  feet  strong. 

When  the  feet  are  not  in  good  condition,  a  tired  feeling, 
irritability,  nervousness  and  general  depression  is  the  re- 
sult. 

Eyes. 

For  reading,  studying,  sewing,  or  any  work  that  re- 
quires keen  eyesight,  daylight  is  better  than  gas  or  elec- 
tric light,  but  every  one  must  read  or  work  sometimes  by 
artificial  light.  Whether  you  get  your  light  from  a  win- 
dow or  from  a  gas-jet,  the  light  should  come  from  be- 
hind and  above  you.  For  writing,  have  it  over  your  left 
shoulder  if  possible. 

If  a  girl  has  to  strain  her  eyes  to  see  objects  clearly, 
or  has  frequent  headaches,  or  the  eyes  look  red  at  the 
end  of  the  day,  she  should  go  to  an  oculist  at  once. 
Glasses  in  time  often  save  the  eyes  for  a  lifetime. 

GERMS 

Germs  (another  name  for  bacteria)  are  a  tiny  form 
of  vegetable  life.  These  germs  are  found  everywhere 
—  in  dust,  in  air,  on  our  skins,  our  hair,  on  the  furniture, 
walls,  floors,  in  water  and  in  the  earth.  They  are  not 


232      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

all  disease  germs.  Many  are  perfectly  harmless ;  in  fact, 
some  are  necessary  to  our  health. 

These  little  germs  must  live  on  something ;  that  is,  they, 
like  all  life,  must  get  food.  Some  get  their  food  from 
dead  matter  and  cannot  live  on  live  matter.  These  are 
the  germs  found  on  dead  fish,  meat,  etc.  This  kind  of 
bacteria  you  would  find  in  your  garbage  pail,  or  on  a  dead 
horse  that  has  fallen  in  the  street.  Then  there  are  germs 
that  get  their  food  from  living  people.  Most  of  the  dis- 
ease germs  are  in  this  class.  How  these  disease  germs 
cause  sickness  is  too  far-reaching  a  subject  for  us  to  take 
up  in  this  book,  but  as  certain  germs  enter  and  feed  on  the 
bodies  of  human  beings,  they  multiply  and  create  poisons 
that  are  called  by  different  names.  One  we  call  measles, 
one  typhoid  fever,  one  we  speak  of  as  a  cold  in  the  head. 
There  are  more  than  twenty-five  kinds  of  known  poisons, 
and  each  has  a  different  name ;  but  it  is  the  doctor's  busi- 
ness and  not  ours  to  study  and  learn  how  to  counteract 
them.  Our  business  is  to  learn  how  to  keep  these  disease 
germs  out  of  our  bodies. 

It  is  through  the  mouth  that  most  germs  enter  the  body. 
There  are  other  ways,  through  the  nose,  and  the  bacteria 
can  enter  through  an  open  wound  into  the  blood ;  but  in  a 
healthy  person  it  is  mostly  through  the  mouth  and  nose 
that  disease  germs  enter;  unbroken  skin  is  a  protection 
against  them. 

How  do  disease  germs  get  into  the  mouth?  By  being 
on  the  food,  by  being  in  the  water  and  by  being  on  any 
object  put  into  the  mouth.  For  example,  if  any  one 
lets  the  baby  suck  dirty  toys  or  a  nipple  from  a  milk 
bottle,  that  has  not  been  boiled,  the  baby  is  sucking  in 
germs.  They  may  not  be  poisonous,  but  there  is  always 
the  chance  of  the  poisonous  one  getting  in. 

How  do  disease  germs  get  on  the  food?     When  dishes 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  233 

are  not  clean  the  dust  from  the  dish  gets  on  the  food; 
when  flies  which  have  stood  in  infected  matter  rest  their 
dirty  feet  on  our  food ;  and  when  our  hands  which  have 
not  been  washed  touch  the  food. 

Danger  from  Water. 

Water  becomes  impure  by  sewage  or  other  impure  mat- 
ter flowing  into  a  stream  and  poisoning  the  water. 
Human  beings  who  drink  that  water  may  be  poisoned. 

The  following  rules  every  one  must  know  and  keep: 

Before  touching  food  hands  must  be  thoroughly  washed 
with  soap  and  hot  water. 

Food  must  be  covered  so  that  no  insect  or  dust  can 
rest  on  it. 

Sputum  from  the  mouth  must  be  regarded  as  poisonous. 
No  one  is  ever  allowed  to  spit  in  any  public  place,  and 
all  the  sputum  must  be  destroyed,  like  any  other  poison, 
after  it  leaves  the  mouth. 

Waste  matter  from  the  bowels  or  kidneys  may  be 
poisonous,  and  must  go  into  the  sewers  of  the  city  and  be 
destroyed  like  any  other  poison,  and  all  water-closets  or 
utensils  that  come  in  contact  with  this  waste  matter  must 
be  thoroughly  washed  with  soap  and  water  every  day. 
The  germs  of  many  diseases  live  in  this  waste  matter. 

Infection. 

This  means  the  communicating  of  disease  germs.  That 
is,  if  a  person  is  sick,  the  bacteria  from  that  diseased 
person  may  be  carried  to  a  well  person.  It  is  for  this 
reason  that  when  there  is  sickness  in  a  home  or  in  the 
neighborhood  every  one  must  be  very  careful  that  every- 
thing which  touches  the  sick  person  must  be  at  once  dis- 
infected. The  hands  of  the  nurse,  or  the  clothing  from 
the  sick,  must  be  thoroughly  washed ;  mosquitoes  and 


234      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

flies  must  be  kept  away;  because  hands,  flies,  etc.,  might 
rest  on  the  sick  person  and  then  touch  the  food  that  later 
some  well  person  puts  into  his  mouth.  It  is  very  easy 
for  a  girl  who  is  acting  as  nurse  to  lift  a  sick  person  in 
bed,  and  then  without  washing  her  hands  to  cut  the  bread 
for  breakfast. 

Disinfectants. 

Disinfectants  are  something  that  destroy  disease  germs. 
There  are  three  principal  disinfectants. 

ist.  The  rays  of  the  sun.  If  a  girl  hangs  the  clothes 
in  the  sun,  or  airs  the  bread  box  with  the  sunlight  shining 
on  it,  she  will  disinfect  or  kill  any  possible  germs  on  the 
clothes  or  in  the  bread  box.  It  is  because  the  sun  is  a 
disinfectant  that  we  are  advised  to  have  sunlight  in  our 
rooms  and  to  live  in  the  sun  as  much  as  possible. 

2nd.  Heat.  This  is  another  disinfectant.  When 
food  is  cooked  it  is  safer  to  eat  than  raw  food,  because  the 
heat  used  in  cooking  has  destroyed  the  germs  that  are 
found  on  all  uncooked  food  (not  all  the  germs  are  poison- 
ous). When  you  boil  and  iron  clothes  you  disinfect  the 
clothes  as  well  as  clean  them,  for  the  heat  of  the  water 
and  the  heat  of  the  iron  kills  any  germs  that  the  air  or 
the  body  have  left  on  the  clothes.  In  case  of  accident,  if 
you  have  no  perfectly  clean  cloth  to  tie  up  a  wound,  boil 
your  handkerchief  twenty  minutes  and  then  you  can  be 
sure  there  are  no  bacteria  to  get  in  the  wound. 

Chemicals,  are  the  third  disinfectant.  There  are  many 
.of  these.  Soap  is  the  commonest  one.  Lime  is  another. 
Lime  is  what  we  throw  down  a  water-closet  if  there  is 
sickness  in  the  house.  Carbolic  acid  is  another.  This  is 
the  foundation  of  all  the  bedbug  preparations.  But  the 
only  chemical  that  it  is  necessary  for  children  to  remem- 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  235 

ber  is  soap.  Soap  cleans  away  the  dirt  as  nothing  else 
does,  and  it  kills  the  germs  at  the  same  time. 

If  every  girl  remembers  that  sun,  heat  and  soap  are, 
excepting  in  cases  of  serious  illness,  the  necessary  disin- 
fectants, she  will  know  the  principal  rule  that  makes  for 
health. 

If  any  girl  wishes  to  be  sure  that  she  herself,  and  her 
room,  are  free  from  disease  germs,  she  simply  will  have  to 
scrub  herself  and  scrub  her  room  with  soap  and  hot 
water,  and  then  let  in  the  sun. 


PART  II 

Home  Care  of  the  Sick. 

So  far  we  have  talked  only  of  preventing  disease,  but 
sickness  is  sure  to  come  in  every  home  sooner  or  later. 

What  are  the  nursing  duties  that  every  one  must  be  ac- 
quainted with  in  order  to  do  her  part  in  making  a  patient 
comfortable? 

. 
The  Model  Sick  Room. 

This  should  be  a  room  with  sun  in  it,  away  from  the 
noise  and  smells  of  the  kitchen.  The  family  should  take 
from  the  bureau  or  closet  in  the  sick  room  any  clothes 
they  may  need  later  because  the  patient  must  not  be  dis- 
turbed by  members  of  the  family  going  in  and  out. 
When  any  one  is  sick,  the  room  one  is  sick  in  should  be- 
long entirely  to  that  person. 

The  great  thing  in  the  care  of  the  sick  is  to  make  the 
patient  comfortable  and  clean  and  as  happy  as  possible. 
A  good  nurse  is  willing  to  give  any  amount  of  trouble  to 
accomplish  this. 


236      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Have  fresh  air  in  the  room  and  see  that  the  room  is 
attractive. 

A  few  flowers  add  a  great  deal.  If  order  and  clean- 
liness are  necessary  to  produce  'in  a  healthy  man  the 
energy  and  power  to  go  forth  to  meet  life,  so  much  more 
is  this  harmony  needed  to  recreate  the  loss  of  health  and 
energy. 

If  the  simple  tasks  are  performed  quietly  and  well  it 
will  often  help  to  restore  health. 

Bathing  a  Sick  Person  in  Bed  and  Changing  the  Sheets. 
The  bed  for  a  sick  person  should  be  pulled  away  from 
the  wall  and  not  face  the  light. 

Bed  Bath. 

First  get  everything  that  you  will  need  for  the  bath 
and  place  all  the  utensils  on  a  table  or  chair  near  the  bed, . 
because  when  one  begins  to  give  a  bed  bath  she  must 
not  leave  the  patient  to  go  for  water  or  cloth  or  soap, 
as  this  is  most  distressing  to  the  sick. 

For  the  bath  is  needed  a  basin  of  warm  water,  soap, 
one  or  two  bath  towels,  alcohol,  and  a  wash  cloth  of  gauze. 

A  bath  should  be  given  before  the  sheets  are  changed. 

First  take  the  spread  from  the  bed,  fold  it  neatly,  and 
put  it  out  of  the  way.  Make  your  patient  comfortable  on 
the  pillow  before  beginning  the  bath.  Sick  people  are 
often  irritable  and  easily  annoyed.  We  should  do  all  in 
our  power  to  make  this  morning  bath  a  pleasure  and  not 
something  to  be  dreaded. 

Have  plenty  of  hot  water  near  at  hand.  Have  an 
extra  pitcher  of  hot  water  and  a  jar  in  which  to  empty 
the  water  from  the  basin  when  it  becomes  too  cold  or 
needs  replenishing. 

Make  the  water  a  little  soapy  by  shaking  the  soap  in  it ; 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  237 

do  not  rub  the  soap  directly  on  the  face  or  on  the  cloth. 

Before  beginning  the  bath,  loosen  the  clothes  at  the 
foot  of  the  bed. 

First  wash  the  face  and  ears,  paying  particular  atten- 
tion to  the  ears.  The  back  of  the  ears  and  the  creases 
often  get  very  dirty, —  this  is  true  especially  of  little 
children. 

Remember  to  be  very  gentle  when  you  are  playing  the 
part  of  nurse.  It  is  trying  to  any  patient  to  have  her  ears 
washed.  Do  not  expect  the  same  patience  in  a  sick 
person  that  you  do  in  one  that  is  well. 

After  washing  the  face  and  ears  rinse  out  the  cloth. 
Wipe  the  face  off  again  and  then  dry  face  and  ears  care- 
fully. 

Next  take  off  the  nightgown,  shake  it  out  carefully  and 
hang  it  over  a  chair.  If  the  weather  is  cold  place  this 
chair  near  the  stove. 

Now  lift  one  arm  from  under  the  bedclothes  and  lay  it 
on  a  Turkish,  towel  which  you  have  placed  over  the  bed- 
clothes to  protect  them.  Rub  plenty  of  soap  on  the 
cloth,  and  rub  the  arm  well,  particularly  under  the  arm. 
Rinse  out  the  cloth,  wipe  the  arm  once  more,  and  dry 
thoroughly.  If  the  patient  is  not  very  sick,  rub  with  a 
good  brisk  stroke.  Before  washing  the  hand  it  is  well 
to  trim  the  finger  nails,  if  they  need  it.  Put  the  patient's 
hand  over  the  basin,  wash  it  thoroughly  with  soap  and 
water.  Clean  the  ringer  nails  with  an  orange  stick  when 
the  hand  is  thoroughly  dry.  Now  wash  the  other  hand 
and  arm  in  the  same  way. 

It  is  very  refreshing  to  any  one  who  is  obliged  to  stay 
in  bed  to  have  the  arm  and  hand  rubbed  with  alcohol  after 
it  is  thoroughly  clean.  Never  use  wood  alcohol,  but  50 
per  cent,  pure  alcohol  gives  a  cool  refreshed  feeling.  No 
matter  what  part  of  the  body  you  are  washing,  remember 


238      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

you  must  always  keep  the  patient  covered,  excepting  the 
part  which  is  being  washed. 

Now,  throw  back  the  clothes  to  the  waist  line.  Wash 
the  body  to  the  waist  with  the  soapy  cloth,  rinse  and  dry 
with  the  Turkish  towel,  as  you  did  the  arm,  and  if  pos- 
sible rub  the  body  with  alcohol.  Next,  turn  the  patient  on 
her  face  and  wash  the  back  in  the  same  way. 

The  turning  of  a  very  sick  person  is  quite  a  difficult 
matter  because  often  one  is  so  sick  that  she  cannot  turn 
herself ;  but  school  girls  studying  this  chapter  must  know 
they  are  too  young  to  take  care  of  a  very  sick  person ; 
so  we  can  take  it  for  granted  that  all  these  home-nurses 
have  to  do  is  to  ask  the  patient  who  is  not  very  sick  and 
to  whom  she  is  giving  the  bath,  to  turn  herself  over. 

Always  place  a  Turkish  towel  under  the  body  to  protect 
the  bed  from  dampness. 

Next  draw  the  bed  clothes  up  around  the  throat  of  the 
patient  so  as  to  keep  her  warm  during  the  bathing. 
Take  out  first  one  leg,  place  under  it  the  Turkish  towel 
and  be  sure  that  all  the  rest  of  the  patient's  body  is  well 
covered.  Wash  the  leg  well  with  soap  and  water,  wipe  it 
off  with  fresh  water,  dry  the  leg  with  a  brisk  stroke,  and 
if  possible  rub  with  alcohol.  Cover  that  leg,  take  out  the 
other  and  wash  and  dry  in  the  same  manner. 

Now  you  have  bathed  the  face,  the  arms,  the  body  and 
the  legs  of  your  patient,  but  you  have  not  yet  washed  the 
feet.  When  one  is  sick  in  bed  the  feet  get  tired  and  hot 
and  need  careful  bathing.  For  this,  an  old  blanket,  two 
towels  and  a  basin  are  needed.  From  the  foot  of  the  bed 
where  clothes  have  been  loosened,  slip  the  blanket  under 
the  legs  and  feet  of  your  patient,  put  Turkish  towel  over 
the  blanket. 

Ask  your  patient  to  bend  her  knees  so  that  the  bottom 
of  the  feet  are  resting  flat  on  the  bed.  Slip  the  basin 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  239 

half  full  of  warm  water  under  the  clothes,  lift  the  feet 
and  put  them  in  the  basin.  Put  a  folded  towel  where  the 
legs  touch  the  basin  so  as  to  protect  them  from  the  edge. 
Now  wash  feet  well  with  soap  and  water,  dry  thoroughly, 
and  after  drying  take  out  the  basin  and  towels,  leave 
blanket  for  a  little  time,  and  if  the  feet  are  cold  put  a  hot 
water  bag  in  the  bed. 

Do  not  hurry  when  you  wash  the  feet  of  a  sick  person. 
It  is  well  to  let  them  soak  for  a  few  minutes  in  the  hot 
water. 

It  is  understood  that  fresh  hot  water  is  always  near  by 
in  a  separate  pitcher  to  add  to  and  keep  the  basin  water 
warm.  Water  with  any  chill  in  it  will  be  unpleasant  and 
possibly  dangerous  to  the  patient. 

Now  the  bath  is  finished.  The  one  who  is  giving  the 
bath  can  at  once  collect  the  basin,  the  towels,  the  cloths 
and  soap  and  take  them  away  while  the  patient  rests  a 
little. 

Combing  the  Hair. 

The  next  task  in  order  is  to  comb  your  patient's  hair. 
Put  a  towel  (fresh  if  necessary)  under  her  head.  Part 
the  hair  from  front  to  back  with  the  comb.  Comb  first 
one  side  then  the  other.  Always  begin  at  the  end  of  the 
hair  and  work  up,  combing  a  small  part  of  it  at  a  time. 
If  tangled,  twist  it  around  your  finger  to  relieve  the  pull 
on  the  scalp.  A  good  nurse  will  never  pull  her  patient's 
hair ;  that  might  start  a  headache  that  would  last  all  day. 

After  combing  one  side,  braid  the  hair  on  that  side; 
then  braid  the  other  in  the  same  way.  Have  the  braids 
go  quite  near  the  ears  so  that  the  back  of  the  head  may 
be  left  free  and  your  patient  may  not  be  obliged  to  lie  on  a 
twist  of  her  hair. 

Wash  your  hands  after  combing  the  hair. 


24o      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Teeth. 

If  not  too  sick,  your  patient  will  want  to  brush  her  own 
teeth.  Nothing  is  more  refreshing  in  illness.  Any  fever 
or  any  trouble  with  the  stomach  at  once  gives  a  bad  taste 
in  the  mouth.  Cleansing  does  much  to  relieve  this.  Put 
a  towel  in  front  of  your  patient,  covering  the  bed  clothes 
carefully.  On  this  put  a  basin,  hand  the  patient  a  glass 
of  fresh  water,  her  toothbrush  and  tooth-powder. 

Now  make  a  mouth  wash  with  half  a  glass  of  fresh 
water  or  water  and  a  little  salt.  After  she  has  brushed 
her  teeth  and  before  taking  the  basin  away  let  her  rinse 
her  mouth. 

Changing  the  Sheets  with  the  Patient  in  Bed. 

First  take  out  top  sheet  from  under  the  blanket  and 
place  it  one  side  to  use  later  as  a  draw  sheet.  The  blanket 
must  cover  the  patient  and  protect  her  from  all  exposure. 

Now  take  the  pillow  very  gently  from  under  the  pa- 
tient's head,  move  her  to  one  side  of  the  bed,  roll  the 
soiled  under  sheet  and  the  draw  sheet  up  next  to  the 
patient. 

The  clean  sheet  is  then  laid  on  to  the  uncovered  half 
of  the  bed,  the  fold  in  the  sheet  coming  midway  in  the 
bed.  Tuck  in  this  clean  sheet  on  the  free  side  and  make 
it  smooth  as  far  as  the  patient;  roll  this  clean  sheet  up 
tight  against  the  patient  beside  the  soiled  one. 

Now  fold  the  top  sheet  which  you  took  from  the  bed 
into  a  strip  about  one  yard  wide  for  a  draw  sheet  and 
tuck  it  into  the  side  with  the  clean  sheet.  Make  this 
smooth  also,  and  roll  it  up  next  to  the  patient. 

Now  turn  the  patient  to  the  clean  side  of  the  bed  over 
the  rolls  of  sheets.  Go  to  the  far  side  of  the  bed,  pull 
out  and  throw  to  one  side  the  soiled  sheet  and  soiled 
draw  sheet  that  you  rolled  in  the  middle  of  the  bed. 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  241 

Pull  the  clean  sheet  tight  and  tuck  it  in  with  square 
corners ;  at  the  same  time  pull  draw  sheet  as  tight  as 
possible  and  tuck  in  with  the  sheet. 

Be  very  careful  that  there  are  no  wrinkles  in  the  sheet. 
The  draw  sheet  is  used  with  a  sick  person  to  protect  the 
under  sheet,  and  when  the  sickness  is  of  any  severity  a 
rubber  sheet  is  placed  between  the  under  sheet  and  the 
draw  sheet. 

The  pillow,  on  which  a  clean  pillow  case  has  been  put, 
is  now  placed  under  the  patient's  head.  Lift  her  with 
one  arm  under  the  shoulders  and  slip  the  pillow  in  with 
the  other  hand.  Pull  the  pillow  down  so  that  it  will  be  a 
little  way  under  each  shoulder.  Always  ask  your  pa- 
tient whether  the  pillow  is  comfortable. 

All  this  time  the  patient  has  been  covered  with  the 
blanket. 

Next,  place  a  clean  top  sheet  over  the  blanket  and  pull 
the  blanket  from  under,  having  your  patient  hold  the  sheet 
at  the  top.  The  blanket  is  then  placed  over  the  top 
sheet  and  the  sheet  and  blanket  tucked  in  at  the  bottom 
of  the  bed. 

Put  on  the  spread  to  protect  the  blanket  and  also  to 
make  the  bed  look  attractive. 

No  one  can  do  this  work  at  first  without  the  help  of  a 
teacher.  This  is  not  dull  and  monotonous  work  like 
much  of  the  housework.  A  human  being  is  dependent 
upon  the  care  of  a  nurse  for  both  refreshment  and 
strength.  This  sense  of  responsibility  to  another  will 
make  any  work  interesting. 

One  thing  every  one  should  know  is  how  to  make  peo- 
ple comfortable  who  have  been  in  bed  a  long  time. 
Often,  as  in  the  case  of  old  people,  they  may  not  be  sick 
enough  to  have  a  doctor,  and  yet  they  must  spend  much 
of  their  time  in  bed. 


242      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Always  be  patient  with  these  people.  They  are  apt  to 
be  nervous  and  unreasonable.  They  will  be  trying,  but 
one  who  has  youth  and  health  should  feel  only  pity  and 
not  irritation  for  those  who  are  more  or  less  helpless. 

Bed  Sores. 

When  a  patient  lies  in  bed  for  a  long  time,  different 
parts  of  the  body  become  sore  from  pressing  on  the  bed, 
from  moisture,  from  wrinkles  in  the  bedclothes,  from 
crumbs  in  the  bed  and  from  lack  of  cleanliness. 

There  are  many  ways  to  prevent  these  sores : 

Keep  the  bed  and  the  patient  in  a  perfectly  clean  con- 
dition. 

Watch  for  sore  places.  The  first  sign  will  be  a  red  look 
and  a  feeling  of  soreness. 

Wash  these  places  carefully  with  half  alcohol  and  half 
water,  and  then  powder  them  with  talcum  powder  to  keep 
them  free  from  moisture. 

If  they  do  not  get  better  at  once,  send  for  the  doctor 
and  ask  him  what  to  do. 

It  is  often  a  rest  to  a  patient  to  keep  the  foot  or  the 
elbow  from  pressing  on  the  bed.  This  can  be  done  by 
making  a  round  pad  and  resting  the  elbow  or  the  heel 
in  this. 

To  Make  a  Pad.  Take  absorbent  cotton  and  make  a 
round  ring  of  this  cotton.  Wind  this  ring  around  and 
around  with  gauze  from  two  to  three  inches  wide. 
When  it  is  thoroughly  wound,  pin  the  end  of  the  gauze 
with  a  safety  pin,  but  be  very  careful  that  the  safety  pin 
is  in  a  place  where  the  patient's  flesh  cannot  touch  it. 

Medicine  Closet. 

Every  family  should  have  in  the  house  either  a  box  or  a 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  243 

medicine  closet  to  hold  articles  to  be  used  in  case  of  illness 
cr  emergency. 

This  box  should  contain  alcohol  (never  wood  alcohol), 
for  use  in  bathing  a  patient ;  vaseline,  or  oil,  to  use  in  case 
of  burns;  bicarbonate  of  soda  (baking  soda),  also  for 
use  in  case  of. burns;  talcum  powder  to  dry  the  moisture 
from  the  skin ;  white  castile  soap,  for  use  in  bathing  a  pa- 
tient ;  absorbent  cotton,  which  is  used  in  nearly  all  illness ; 
sterilized  gauze  bandage ;  scissors,  which  should  be  kept 
in  this  box  and  used  only  for  illness ;  pins,  ordinary  and 
safety  pins ;  cold  cream  for  chapped  hands. 

No  medicines  need  to  be  kept  in  this  box,  for  if  a 
patient  is  obliged  to  take  medicine  the  doctor  will  pre- 
scribe it. 

The  Invalid's  Tray. 

Let  us  take  as  an  illustration  a  little  sister  who  is  sick. 
She  has  been  made  comfortable  for  the  day.  She  has  a 
clean,  cool  body ;  the  sheets  on  her  bed  are  fresh ;  and  the 
room  has  been  aired  and  dusted  with  a  damp  duster  so 
that  no  dust  has  been  thrown  into  the  air  and  thus  on  to 
the  patient.  Now  the  patient  is  ready  for  something  to 
eat,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  home-nurse  to  get  the  break- 
fast. 

This  meal  must  be  daintily  served,  the  dishes  made  at- 
tractive, the  linen  spotless ;  and  when  hot  food  is  used  the 
dishes  must  be  hot,  when  cold  food  is  served  the  cup  or 
dish  must  be  cold. 

The  appetite  has  a  great  effect  on  digestion,  and  sick 
people  are  very  apt  to  have  poor  appetites,  and  so  it  is 
the  part  of  the  nurse  to  do  everything  in  her  power  to 
stimulate,  and  to  arouse,  the  appetite.  An  attractive 
room,  a  flower  on  the  breakfast  tray,  and  a  happy,  quiet, 


244      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

cheerful  nurse  wearing  a  very  clean  apron,  all  these  do 
much  toward  making  the  patient  willing  to  eat.  If  the 
tray-cloth  is  a  little  soiled,  if  the  tea  has  slopped  into  the 
saucer,  if  the  outside  of  the  water  glass  is  wet,  if  the 
nurse's  finger-nails  are  dirty,  the  patient  may  lose  her 
pleasure  in  the  breakfast  and  refuse  to  eat. 

There  are  six  things  to  remember  in  preparing  an  in- 
valid's tray : 

1.  Make  it  look  attractive. 

2.  Have  everything  taste  just  right;  Hot  things  very 
hot,  cold  things  very  cold,  and  each  kind  of  food  seasoned 
exactly  right.     A  good  cook  must  taste  the  food  before 
she  serves  it. 

3.  Be  sure  all  of  the  food  on  the  tray  is  easily  digested. 
(When  one  is  working  or  playing  she  can  eat  more 

solid  food  than  she  can  when  lying  still  in  bed.) 

4.  Be  sure  it  is  the  kind  of  food  that  will  give  the  pa- 
tient strength.     She  wants  to  get  well  and  strong  as  soon 
as  possible,  arid  every  mouthful  of  food  must  help  her 
toward  health. 

5.  Let  no  time  elapse  between  the  cooking  and  serving. 
Food  that  stands  after  cooking  is  not  appetizing. 

6.  Never  ask  your  patient  what  she  wants  to  eat,  never 
talk  about  the  food  where  she  can  hear  you.     Surprise 
her  if   possible.     This   surprise   helps   the   appetite   and 
adds  interest  to  the  dullness  of  a  long  sick-day. 

The  tray  on  which  you  serve  the  meal  must  be  large 
enough  to  hold  all  the  dishes  without  any  appearance  of 
crowding.  If,  for  example,  you  are  serving  only  milk 
and  toast,  use  a  small  tray ;  but  three  or  four  dishes  will 
require  a  large  one, 

Cover  the  tray  with  a  tray-cloth.  This  does  not  need 
to  be  expensive,  but  it  must  be  spotlessly  white.  If  you 
have  not  a  tray-cloth  use  a  perfectly  clean  napkin. 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  245 

Choose  the  best  china  you  have;  the  silver  and  glass- 
ware must  be  the  best  and  polished. 

In  setting  the  tray  follow  the  same  rules  as  you  did 
in  setting  the  table.  Place  the  plate  where  it  can  be  con- 
veniently used;  knife  at  the  right,  sharp  edge  toward  the 
plate;  the  fork  at  the  left  of  the  plate.  A  bread  and 
butter  plate  should  be  placed  above  the  fork.  The 
napkin  must  be  placed  at  the  left  of  the  fork.  Cup  and 
saucer  at  the  right  —  with  the  handle  so  that  your  patient 
can  reach  it  easily.  Water  glass  above  the  knife,  not  full 
enough  to  spill  as  you  carry  the  tray.  Be  sure  that  there 
is  salt  and  pepper  on  the  tray,  sugar  if  required,  and  a 
small  pitcher  of  cream  or  milk,  if  needed.  Now  the  tray 
is  ready  for  the  hot  dishes  of  food  as  soon  as  they  are 
cooked. 

It  depends  upon  how  sick  the  patient  is  what  she  can 
eat.  In  this  chapter  you  will  find  only  a  few  suggestions. 
In  the  chapters  on  cooking  you  learnt  about  foods  in 
general  and  how  to  prepare  them. 

DC  not  give  a  sick  person  anything  fried.  Fried  food 
is  not  as  healthy  as  boiled  or  steamed  or  baked  food. 

Some  cooked  fruit  is  more  easily  digested  than  raw 
fruit,  for  example,  bake  an  apple  or  make  it  into  apple 
sauce,  and  serve  it  with  milk  and  sugar;  but  if  you  have 
an  orange  the  juice  is,  when  served  cold,  often  more 
acceptable  than  hot  fruit,  especially  in  warm  weather. 
The  flavor  of  this  fruit  will  help  give  your  patient  an 
appetite  for  the  more  nutritive  part  of  her  breakfast,  and 
orange  juice  is  easily  digested.  Fruits  also  aid  digestion. 
They  are  largely  composed  of  water,  and  contain  but 
little  nutritive  value,  the  little  they  have  being  sugar. 
But  the  blood  needs  the  minerals  in  fruits,  and  so  it  is 
well  to  serve  fruit  with  the  meal. 

Eggs  have  a  great  deal  of  protein  and  repair  the  waste 


246      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

of  the  body  as  does  meat.  There  is  so  much  food  valuej 
in  eggs  that  even  if  they  are  expensive  try  to  buy  one  or 
two  fresh  ones  for  your  patient's  breakfast.  Try  to  givd 
the  sick  person  the  best,  even  if  the  healthy  members  of 
the  family  have  to  deny  themselves.  To  determine 
whether  an  egg  is  fresh  or  not,  put  it  in  a  cup  of  wa- 
ter; it  will  sink  if  fresh  and  rise  to  the  top  if  not.- 
The  reasons  why  eggs  are  given  to  sick  people  are 
many  : 

1.  They  have  a  great  deal  of  food  value. 

2.  They  taste  good  and  are  easy  to  eat. 

3.  They  are  easily  digested  when  raw  or  cooked  soft. 

4.  They  are   free   from  bacteria  because  the  bacteria 
cannot  get  through  the  shell. 

Toast  is  more  easily  digested  than  bread.  To  make! 
toast  for  an  invalid :  Cut  off  the  crust,  toast  the  bread  aJ 
rich  brown,  first  on  one  side  then  on  the  other.  Serve! 
it  hot  and  let  the  patient  butter  it  at  the  last  moment! 
Dry  toast  is  easier  to  digest  than  buttered  toast. 

Milk  alone,  or  in  cocoa,  is  often  prescribed  for  the  sick.! 
If  babies  can  digest  milk  and  gain  from  it  all  the  strength) 
needed,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  it  would  be  just  the  food  a 
doctor  would  prescribe  for  a  sick  person. 

Accidents. 

What  part  should  a  girl  play  if  she  is  at  hand  when  and 
accident  occurs?  In  other  words,  how  much  of  what  is 
called  "  First  Aid  to  the  Injured  "  is  required  of  a  school 
girl? 

The  first  thing  for  every  girl  to  learn  is  that  she  must- 
keep  her  head  in  case  of  accidents. 

There  probably  will  be  in  the  crowd  some  one  who 
knows  more  than  she  does.  Follow  his  advice,  help  him; 
by  doing  exactly  what  he  orders,  and  try  to  keep  the 


PREVENTION  OF  DISEASE  247 

curious  crowd  as  far  away  from  the  injured  person  as 
possible. 

Do  not  let  the  one  who  is  hurt  see  the  injured  part  if 
you  can  avoid  it.  Often  a  man  or  woman  who  is  hurt 
will  suffer  from  shock ;  that  is,  faint  away  or  collapse  if  he 
is  allowed  to  see  the  arm  or  leg  or  other  part  of  the  body 
that'is  injured. 

The  second  thing  for  a  girl  to  do  is  to  help  to  get  the 
doctor  as  soon  as  possible.  Do  not  take  the  patient 
to  the  doctor,  but  bring  the  doctor  to  the  patient,  be- 
cause moving  one  who  is  hurt  may  do  a  great  deal  of 
harm.  Until  the  doctor  comes  have  the  patient  lie  per- 
fectly quiet,  flat  on  his  back.  Do  not  try  to  find  out 
where  he  is  hurt.  Do  not  even  try  to  get  his  clothes  off, 
but  keep  him  as  quiet  as  possible,  and  cover  him  with  a 
blanket  or  a  coat,  always  keeping  the  crowd  as  far  away 
as  you  can. 

Burns.  Burns  are  the  most  common  form  of  accidents. 
Little  sisters  who  are  under  the  care  of  big  sisters  are 
more  apt  to  get  burned  than  to  be  hurt  in  any  other  way. 

The  first  thing  is  to  protect  the  burn  from  the  air,  and 
so  to  ease  the  pain. 

Mix  baking  soda  with  water  until  it  is  a  thick  paste, 
and  put  this  wet  dressing  all  over  the  burned  spot.  If 
you  have  no  baking  soda,  use  starch  or  flour. 

When  the  pain  begins  to  grow  less,  cover  the  burned 
place  with  vaseline  or  olive  oil  or  castor  oil. 

If  it  is  a  bad  burn,  that  is,  if  it  seems  to  be  very  deep 
or  to  cover  a  large  space,  get  the  doctor  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. 

Sunburn  is  often  a  very  bad  burn,  and  can  be  relieved 
with  baking  soda  or  covered  with  oil  like  any  other  burn. 
Do  not  cover  with  a  cloth  or  handkerchief  that  is  not 
sterile. 


248      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Cuts  are  another  common  accident. 

One  important  thing  about  treating  cuts  is  to  remember 
all  the  things  that  should  not  be  done. 

When  the  skin  is  broken,  there  is  danger  of  germs  get- 
ting into  the  blood.  Never  tie  up  a  cut  with  a  dirty 
handkerchief  or  rag.  Never  touch  the  cut  with  your 
hand,  for  there  are  germs  on  everybody's  ringers.  Never 
let  the  child  whose  finger  is  cut  put  the  ringer  in  his 
mouth,  for  the  sputum  may  contain  bacteria  that  will 
enter  the  blood. 

Unless  the  bleeding  is  very  bad,  it  does  no  harm 
to  let  a  cut  finger  or  cut  foot  bleed,  because  as  long  as  the 
blood  is  going  out  no  germs  can  get  in. 

The  air,  also,  does  not  harm  the  cut,  and  unless  you 
have  a  clean  gauze  bandage  or  a  freshly  boiled  cloth  to 
cover  it,  it  is  better  to  leave  the  cut  open  to  the  air. 

Children  are  apt  to  fall  down  and  scrape  the  skin 
from  the  knee  or  elbow  and  get  the  dirt  of  the  street  into 
this  raw  spot.  To  clean  this  out,  soap  and  water  are  best, 
but  if  the  soap  hurts  too  much  call  a  doctor,  for  a  doctor 
always  can  do  work  of  this  kind  more  skilfully  than  an 
untrained  person. 

Use  boiled  water  to  wash  a  wound  and  remember  soap 
is  a  disinfectant. 

Sterilization  is  another  word  you  must  learn.  It  means 
about  the  same  as  disinfectant.  When  gauze  is  sterilized 
it  comes  in  contact  with  heat  and  all  germs  are  de- 
stroyed. A  handkerchief  is  sterilized  when  boiled  twenty 
minutes. 

If  a  girl  is  faced  with  a  more  serious  accident  than  a 
slight  cut  or  a  small  burn,  she  should  not  try  to  give  aid 
herself  but  simply  to  keep  the  patient  quiet,  and  get  the 
doctor. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON 

Hot  weather  has  to  be  faced  every  year,,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  people,  on  small  incomes,  are  not  prepared  to 
meet  it.  Too  little  importance  is  attached  in  this  country 
to  climatic  changes.  In  India,  for  example,  where  the 
thermometer  is  seldom  below  eighty  degrees,  clothing, 
food,  hours  for  labor,  are  studied  with  a  view  to  preserv- 
ing health  and  comfort  in  spite  of  the  heat.  In  most 
parts  of  the  United  States  there  are  only  a  few  weeks 
of  really  warm  wreather,  but  many  endure  this  rather 
than  plan  to  meet  the  condition  with  the  forethought  and 
intelligence  that  comes  from  education  on  the  subject. 
Thus  the  person  who  really  desires  to  make  the  summer 
free  from  discomfort  often  does  not  know  how. 

Air. 

One  of  the  great  advantages  of  summer  is  that  fresh 
air  has  opportunity  to  enter  our  homes,  as  it  has  not 
in  cold  weather.  Doors  and  windows  are  wide  open 
night  and  day,  and  there  is  little  danger  of  breathing  ex- 
hausted air.  Every  person  should  make  the  most  of  this. 
Sleep  with  every  window  in  the  house  wide  open ;  insist 
upon  fresh  air  in  the  store  or  office  or  factory ;  spend  all 
of  the  recreation-time  possible  in  the  open  air.  Rides 
in  an  open  car  or  on  top  of  a  stage  or  on  a  ferry-boat ; 
an  hour  with  a  book  on  a  park  bench  instead  of  in  the 
house;  use  of  the  roof  for  reading  or  working  —  are  all 
perfectly  possible  open-air  city  pleasures.  Summer  is  not 

249 


250      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

the  only  season  in  the  year  when  one  can  live  under  open- 
air  conditions ;  in  winter  it  simply  takes  more  courage  and 
vitality.  It  is  much  better  for  a  girl  to  spend  her  money 
in  trolley  fare  or  for  the  short  railroad  journey  that  will 
take  her  to  the  country  than  it  is  to  spend  that  same 
amount  of  money  for  a  feather  for  her  hat. 

Summer  Furnishing. 

There  are  three  reasons  why  warm  clothing,  dust-col- 
lecting table-covers,  curtains,  ornaments,  etc.,  should  be 
packed  away  in  hot  weather. 

First.  They  create  a  feeling  of  stuffiness  and  irrita- 
tion. Every  one  is  more  sensitive  to  disorder,  to  the 
overcrowding  of  a  room,  and  to  dirt,  in  hot  weather  than 
in  cold.  Nerves  are  on  edge,  and  the  vitality  that  in  cold 
weather  can  help  one  to  laugh  at  the  discomfort  of  dis- 
order and  crowded  quarters  is  lacking  in  summer. 
Things  press  against  us  when  we  are  suffering  from  the 
heat.  Give  the  rooms  in  summer  an  atmosphere  of  space. 

Second.  Curtains,  table-covers,  etc.,  collect  dust  when 
the  windows  are  open,  and  add  to  labor  and  to  the  danger 
of  disease  germs. 

Third.  A  crowded  room  takes  away  from  the  free  cir- 
culation of  air,  and  in  summer  we  must  have  all  the  draft 
possible. 

Packing  Away  for  Hot  Weather. 

If  you  have  not  a  chest  or  packing  trunk  get  a  wooden 
box.  Any  grocery  store  will  have  one  and  will  deliver  it 
to  your  house  for  a  few  cents.  A  box  the  length  of  the 
window  and  thirty-seven  inches  high  makes  a  good  win- 
dow-seat as  well  as  packing  box.  Scrub  this  box  thor- 
oughly inside  and  out  with  soap  and  soda  and  hot  water. 
When  dry,  paint  the  inside  cracks  with  turpentine.  Five 


A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON  251 

cents'  worth  of  turpentine  and  a  small  brush  will  do  the 
work.  Stain  the  outside  of  the  box,  including  the  cover, 
with  alcohol  stain. 

To  make  stain.  Mix  with  alcohol  enough  dry  Aniline 
stain  to  make  the  required  color. 

After  the  stain  has  thoroughly  dried,  rub  off  with  a 
cloth  the  powdery  remains  of  the  stain  which  have  not 
passed  into  the  wood.  Wax  the  box  with  melted  beeswax 
or  with  any  prepared  floor  wax.  Hinges  are  never  found 
on  these  grocery-store  boxes,  but  good  hinges  can  be  pur- 
chased from  any  hardware  store  for  ten  cents. 

When  the  box  is  cleaned,  stained,  and  the  cover  hinged, 
line  it  with  newspaper,  having  the  paper  overlap  so  that 
there  are  no  open  spaces.  Shake,  brush,  and  thoroughly 
air  every  article  of  clothing  or  other  material  that  is  to  be 
packed.  Then  fold  carefully,  and  place  the  separate 
articles  in  the  box,  with  a  newspaper  between  each. 
When  the  box  is  full,  cover  the  whole  with  a  newspaper, 
tucking  it  in  so  that  no  air  or  insects  can  reach  the  cloth- 
ing. Fasten  the  cover  on  tight,  and  do  not  open  until 
autumn. 

This  box  can  be  used  for  wood  in  winter. 

Mosquitoes. 

Mosquitoes  in  tropical  countries  are  the  carriers  of 
malaria  and  yellow  fever.  The  Panama  Canal,  because 
of  the  prevalence  of  yellow  fever  in  the  Canal  Zone, 
could  never  have  been  built  had  it  not  been  for  the  dis- 
covery that  these  fever  poisons  are  carried  from  one 
person  to  another  by  the  .bite  of  a  mosquito.  In  1880, 
the  French  started  to  build  the  canal,  but  were  obliged 
to  give  it  up  because  the  prevalence  of  the  fevers  made 
labor  impossible.  It  was  through  the  acts  of  brave  men, 
among  them  Dr.  Carroll  and  Dr.  Lazaer,  that  it  was 


252      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

proved  that  these  tiny  insects  were  so  dangerous.  These 
doctors  allowed  mosquitoes  that  had  bitten  yellow^fever 
patients  to  bite  them,  and  in  both  cases  the  disease  was 
contracted.  Dr.  Lazaer  studied  the  mosquito  as  it  lit  on 
his  hand  and  drank  his  blood.  Three  days  later  he  came 
down  with  yellow  fever,  and  died,  but  his  death  proved 
beyond  doubt  that  the  mosquito  must  be  eliminated. 
Havana  has  been  free  from  yellow  fever  since  1902  be- 
cause of  the  splendid  work  of  William  C.  Gorgas. 

Mosquitoes  breed  in  damp  places  and  in  stagnant  water. 
When  the  United  States  was  ready  to  build  the  canal  and 
it  was  decided  that  either  the  mosquito  must  go  or  the 
canal  remain  unbuilt,  the  first  thing  that  was  done  in 
Panama  and  Colon  was  to  install  a  perfect  system  of 
sewers  and  to  pave  the  streets.  This  did  away  with  the 
filth  and  the  mud  that  had  been  the  breeding  place  of  the 
mosquito.  As  mosquitoes  breed  in  damp  undergrowth, 
this  also  was  cleared  away,  swamps  were  drained,  and 
stagnant  pools  were  oiled.  It  was  not  possible  at  once 
absolutely  to  exterminate  the  disease,  but  as  soon  as  any 
one  showed  signs  of  yellow  fever,  he  was  put  into  a 
screened  room,  and  an  officer  was  put  on  duty  day  and 
night  to  see  that  the  screen  doors  were  always  closed  and 
that  no  mosquitoes  in  the  room  could  possibly  fly  out. 
As  soon  as  the  yellow  fever  patient  was  well,  the  house 
was  fumigated  and  all  mosquitoes  were  killed. 

This  drainage  and  sanitary  work  cost  the  United  States 
more  than  nine  millions  of  dollars  and  the  lives  of  many 
valuable  men,  but  the  discovery  that  the  mosquito  was  a 
disease  carrier  was  worth  the  lives  of  these  scientists  and 
doctors,  and  to  clean  up  this  one  little  spot  in  the  world 
was  worth  all  it  cost.  It  is  facts  like  these  that  make  us 
respect  the  word  "sanitation."  The  principal  man  at  the 
head  of  all  this  cleaning-up  work  was  Colonel  Gorgas,  and 


A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON  253 

what  that  man  did  in  a  big  way  each  girl  can  do  in  a 
small  way.  He  stands  simply  as  one  of  the  greatest 
house-cleaners  that  ever  lived.  He  made  perfectly  clean 
and  healthy  the  place  that  was  given  him  to  clean,  and 
that  is  all  that  is  expected  of  any  one. 

Flies. 

Flies  are  another  danger  of  the  summer  months.  A 
fly  eats  and  carries  on  its  body  the  filth  and  bacteria 
from  the  substances  on  which  it  feeds.  The  house-fly  is 
a  disease-carrier  not  because  it  infects  people  by  its  bite, 
as  the  mosquito  does,  but  because  it  eats  and  lives  and 
lays  its  eggs  in  infected  material.  Dead  animals  and  ex- 
creta are  its  principal  food.  But  if  the  house  and  the 
near-by  street  have  no  filth  or  disease  bacteria  exposed 
for  the  fly  to  feed  on,  it  is  a  harmless,  though  annoying, 
insect.  If  one  does  not  like  the  thought  that  the  fly  now 
walking  around  the  edge  of  the  cream- jug  was  a  short 
time  ago  eating  and  walking  on  a  dead  fish,  feeding  in 
the  garbage-pail,  or  even  in  more  disgusting  filth,  the  only 
thing  to  do  is  to  keep  all  such  feeding-places  covered. 

The  body  of  the  fly  is  thickly  covered  with  tiny  hairs, 
its  legs  are  like  little  brushes,  and  the  dirt  and  germs 
stick  to  this  hairy  body.  It  is  estimated  that  a  fly  can 
carry  about  infected  bacteria  on  its  legs  and  wings  for  at 
least  eighteen  hours.  Not  only  do  flies  carry  germs,  but 
they  also  drop  this  dirty  material  from  their  body  after 
they  have  eaten  it.  The  fly  always  overeats,  and  it 
overeats  decayed  material,  which  it  prefers  to  fresh  food. 
This  overeating  causes  a  distention  of  the  body,  and  in 
order  to  relieve  this  feeling,  the  fly  drops  the  undigested 
food  as  it  moves  from  object  to  object.  The  girls  who 
study  this  book  may  have  noticed  that  when  a  fly  falls 
into  the  milk  it  will  leave  a  trail  as  it  crawls  out.  These 


254      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

trails  are  the  droppings  from  the  intestines  and  the  mouth. 
They  have  been  studied  and  proved  to  be  often  infected. 
Every  girl  has  also  seen  fly-spots  where  the  fly  has 
walked.  These  spots  are  the  same  things:  little  drops 
of  dirt.  Flies  feed  on  sputum,  and  when  this  sputum  has 
dried  to  such  an  extent  that  the  fly  cannot  draw  it  into  its 
mouth,  it  will  inject  fluid  and  moisten  in  this  way  the 
dried  sputum,  so  that  it  can  be  sucked  in. 

The  dirty  habits  of  the  fly  are  also  conspicuous  from 
the  places  in  which  it  lays  its  eggs.  Some  flies  prefer  the 
wounds  of  animals,  in  which  cases  extensive  sores  are 
the  result.  Some  will  lay  their  eggs  in  the  dirt  of  the 
street.  A  certain  kind  of  fly  will  lay  its  eggs  only  in 
cheese,  bacon,  or  some  fatty  material.  As  the  common 
house  fly  does  not  pierce  the  skin,  it  cannot  carry  poison 
to  the  blood,  but  a  fly  will  light  on  our  skin  again  and 
again  so  that  it  may  feed  on  the  skin  secretions.  The 
danger  from  a  fly  lies,  then,  in  the  fact  that  they  feed  and 
breed  in  dirty,  infected  places,  and  then  light  on  the  food 
of  human  beings.  You  may  never  see  the  fly  that  poisons 
you  or  that  makes  your  baby  sick,  for  all  that  is  necessary 
is  that  the  hairy  little  body  shall  walk  over  filth  and  then 
infect  the  milk. 

Intestinal  diseases  are  those  most  often  given  by  the 
fly  to  human  beings.  This  is  because  of  the  matter  that 
the  fly  eats.  Diarrhea  in  summer  is  the  most  common  of 
these  diseases.  A  single  fly  can  carry  on  its  body  6,600,- 
ooo  bacteria,  and  in  one  examination  in  England  between 
the  months  of  July  and  October,  twenty  per  cent,  of  the 
flies  were  found  to  be  infected  with  diarrhea  germs. 

A  fly  does  not  move  much  from  street  to  street  or  from 
house  to  house.  So  if  the  house  you  live  in  and  the  street 
you  live  on  are  clean,  you  are  comparatively  safe. 

What  is  the  citizen's  responsibility  in  this  question? 


A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON  255 

Flies  will  walk  in  filth  if  there  is  any  filth  to  walk  in. 
That  is  a  habit  in  flies  we  cannot  control,  but  the  milk 
and  food  in  the  house  can  be  covered  so  that  the  dirty 
feet  of  the  fly  cannot  touch  what  we  eat.  Garbage-cans, 
ash-cans,  and  all  waste  can  be  covered,  and  so  made  im- 
possible for  the  fly  to  use  as  a  feeding  place.  The  win- 
dows can  be  screened.  A  screen  can  be  bought  for 
twenty-five  cents,  and  the  purchase  of  this  may  save  a 
baby's  life.  A  screen  is  also  necessary  to  keep  the 
mosquitoes  away.  In  this  country  mosquitoes  are  not  the 
deadly  carriers  of  disease  that  they  are  in  the  tropics, 
but  they  do  poison  many  people,  they  heat  the  blood,  and 
they  certainly  do  much  to  annoy  and  rob  one  of  sleep. 
Do  not  shut  the  windows  to  keep  insects  out  when  a 
screen  will  do  the  same  work.  Just  as  uncovered  garbage 
is  a  breeding-place  for  flies,  so  stagnant  water,  even  a 
small  quantity  of  water  in  a  pail,  will  act  as  a  breeding- 
place  for  mosquitoes. 

Those  who  study  this  book  may  not  go  to  Panama  or 
give  their  lives  to  help  science,  but  every  one  can  take  the 
rules  that  these  great  scientists  have  discovered,  can  learn 
them  by  heart,  and  can  live  by  them  day  by  day,  and 
every  girl  can  clean  up  her  little  corner  or  her  one  house, 
just  as  thoroughly  as  Colonel  Gorgas  did  his  larger  house- 
cleaning. 

Foods. 

Food  is  to  the  body  what  coal  is  to  the  stove,  and  as 
no  one  builds  a  big  fire  in  the  stove  on  a  warm  summer 
day  if  it  can  be  helped,  so  no  one  should  overheat  the 
body  in  hot  weather.  One-fourth  to  one-third  less  food 
is  needed  in  hot  weather  than  in  cold,  and  not  only  is  the 
quantity  of  the  food  different  but  the  quality  is  also  dif- 
ferent. The  foods  that  contain  carbohydrate,  fat  and 


256      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

protein,  such  as  meat,  oil,  butter  and  sugar,  create  heat  in 
the  body.  Proteins  and  carbohydrates  are  quick  fuels. 
For  example,  if  energy  is  wanted  quickly  one  may  obtain 
this  by  giving  the  body  eggs  or  sugar. 

To  produce  heat  slowly  in  the  body,  and  a  heat  that 
will  last,  as  a  hard  coal  fire  outlasts  a  wood  fire,  eat  oils, 
nuts  and  fat  meats.  It  is  for  this  reason  that'  in  cold 
countries,  on  all  Polar  expeditions,  the  men  eat  great 
quantities  of  fat,  but  little  of  this  heat-giving  food  is 
necessary  in  warm  weather. 

Cooling  foods  are  the  foods  that  contain  much  water. 
There  is  a  constant  loss  of  moisture  from  the  body  in 
summer  as  there  is  loss  of  heat  in  winter.  In  hot 
weather,  therefore,  we  must  eat  food  that  makes  up  for 
this  water  loss,  just  as  in  winter  we  must  eat  food  that 
gives  back  the  loss  of  heat.  Water  is  as  cooling  to  the 
inside  of  the  body  as  the  cold  bath  is  to  the  outside.  Eat 
uncooked  vegetables  such  as  celery  and  lettuce ;  such 
fruits  as  pears,  peaches  and  oranges,  these  being  largely 
composed  of  water ;  but  when  you  eat  this  uncooked  food 
be  very  careful  that  it  is  fresh  and  clean,  for  food  decays 
very  rapidly  in  hot  weather.  Never  eat  any  fruit  or 
vegetable  or  salad  without  washing  it  thoroughly. 

Freshly  cooked  vegetables,  such  as  peas  and  beans,  con- 
tain much  nourishment  and  in  summer  they  are  better  to 
eat  than  meat.  Do  not  give  the  stomach  a  great  deal  of 
work  to  do  in  hot  weather.  Eggs  are  more  quickly  di- 
gested than  fat  meats. 

Eat  foods  in  summer  that  require  a  short  time  to  cook. 
It  is  often  possible  to  cook  in  the  morning  the  food  neces- 
sary for  the  day,  thus  allowing  the  fire  to  go  out  and 
insuring  a  cool  house  to  sleep  in.  Be  thoughtful  of 
the  servant  in  hot  weather;  she  suffers  from  the  heat 
as  truly  as  her  employer.  A  supper  of  cold  meat,  crisp 


A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON  257 

cool  salad,  cold  milk  and  bread  and  butter  is  surely  more 
appetizing  than  a  steaming  hot  dish  on  a  summer  night. 

Buying  in  Summer. 

One  reason  for  the  increase  in  disease  in  warm  weather 
is  bad  food.  Every  one  knows  that  to  keep  food  from 
decaying  in  summer  it  must  be  put  on  the  ice;  in  winter 
the  cold  weather  takes  the  place  of  the  ice-box. 

In  winter  most  people  are  obliged  to  eat  canned  vege- 
tables, which  never  have  the  sweetness  of  the  fresh  vege- 
tables. Do  not  open  a  can  of  peas  in  July  because  it  is 
easier  than  shelling  the  fresh,  and  equally  cheap,  peas 
from  the  market.  In  buying  vegetables,  remember  that 
they  must  be  crisp.  Lettuce  that  is  not  crisp  is  not  fresh. 
If  possible,  buy  fruit  with  the  skins  on.  Never  buy 
pineapple  or  watermelon  by  the  slice,  as  the  dust  from 
the  street  has  entered  every  piece. 

Sweet,  syrupy  drinks  do  not  take  the  place  of  water. 
The  sugar  in  soft  drinks  is  heating,  and  clear  water  is 
healthier  and  more  cooling.  Our  bodies  cry  out  for 
moisture  because  of  the  great  loss  of  water  through  the 
pores  of  our  skin. 

Let  each  girl  seriously  take  up  the  problem  of  hot 
weather  living.  The  death-rate  of  children  is  much 
greater  in  summer  than  in  winter.  There  is  the  danger 
from  decaying  food,  because  fermentation  is  quickened 
by  the  heat.  The  man  who  sells  you  fresh  vegetables 
from  a  cart  may  be  perfectly  honest  when  he  tells  you 
they  were  fresh  that  morning.  In  summer  a  few  hours 
are  all  that  are  needed  to  produce  decay.  Then,  too,  there 
is  more  dust  in  summer  than  in  winter.  Our  windows 
are  'open,  and  the  dust  easily  enters  our  homes.  Also  in 
summer,  it  requires  more  will-power  to  dust  properly 
every  morning  and  to  get  rid  of  all  dust.  Flies  and 


258      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

mosquitoes  infect  the  food  in  summer,  and  the  overheated 
bodies  of  little  children  furnish  easy  lodgment  for  disease. 

The  care  of  little  children  has  been  considered,  but 
while  we  are  on  this  subject  let  us  go  over  a  few  abso- 
lutely necessary  facts  about  helping  the  baby  during  the 
summer. 

The  baby  should  never  be  weaned  in  hot  weather,  but 
if  it  takes  cow's  milk,  the  milk  must  be  kept  in  a  cool 
place  and  covered. 

Milk  which  has  been  heated  by  the  sun  or  by  hot  air, 
or  has  been  too  near  the  stove,  is  bad  milk. 

A  baby  feels  the  heat  more  than  grown-up  people;  in 
hot  weather  it  should  wear  as  little  clothing  as  possible. 
A  loose  cotton  shirt  and  a  diaper  are  sufficient  for  a  hot 
day. 

In  warm  weather  give  the  baby  a  cool  sponge  bath 
several  times  a  day,  and  give  it  plenty  of  clean,  cool 
boiled  water  to  drink ;  never  forget  that  it  gets  thirsty  and 
is  unable  to  ask  for  water. 

If  the  baby  vomits  or  has  diarrhea,  stop  all  feeding. 
Give  it  boiled  water,  and  send  for  the  doctor  at  once. 

Picnics. 

While  many  people  think  picnics  are  only  childish  things 
and  not  important  enough  for  study,  they  are  really  worth 
studying  for  two  reasons. 

First.  They  are  held  out  of  doors;  and  to  eat  in  the 
fresh  air  gives  the  body  the  best  possible  medicine. 

Second.  A  great  many  people  who,  at  home,  are  very 
particular  about  meals  think  anything  will  do  for  a  picnic. 
On  the  contrary,  cold  food  that  is  to  take  the  place  of  a 
hot  meal  should  be  prepared  with  even  more  care  if 
possible  than  the  meal  at  home.  It  is  usually  eaten  in 
a  warm  atmosphere  after  being  carried  some  distance. 


A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON  259 

Every  one  can  recall  how  many  children  come  home 
from  picnics  (which  should  mean  health,  relaxation  and 
amusement)  sick  at  their  stomachs.  Why?  Because 
they  either  eat  the  wrong  food,  or  the  right  food  prepared 
in  the  wrong  way,  and  as  soon  as  the  stomach  feels  the 
motion  of  the  ferry  or  the  car  it  protests.  For  it  is  an 
insult  to  the  stomach  to  fill  it  with  unwholesome  food. 

What  should  be  taken  on  a  picnic?  Sandwiches,  fruit 
and  something  to  drink.  Sandwiches  should  be  the  main 
part  of  the  lunch.  In  a  sandwich  we  have  the  bread 
which  is  wanted  at  every  meal  and  which  contains  the 
necessary  starch ;  butter  contributes  the  fat,  and  a  proper 
filling  completes  the  needed  nourishment.  In  making 
sandwiches  in  summer  very  little  butter  should  be  used, 
for  it  is  apt  to  get  rancid,  and  fat  is  heating.  The  filling 
of  the  sandwiches  must  contain  as  much  food  value  as 
possible,  and  whether  it  consists  of  meat  or  salad  or 
cheese  a  sandwich  is  the  easiest  way  to  carry  the  main 
part  of  the  meal. 

Making  Sandwiches. 

Have  your  hands  clean,  for  sandwiches  must  be  handled 
in  the  making.  Bread  a  day  old  is  better  than  fresh 
bread.  Have  the  filling  very  cold. 

As  sandwiches  are  usually  eaten  in  hot  weather  and 
away  from  ice,  they  should  be  done  up  in  oiled  paper  to 
keep  out  the  air  and  heat.  Germs  are  very  active  in  warm 
weather.  Sandwiches  should  not  be  of  that  material 
which  easily  decays.  Meat  is  expensive,  and  quickly 
spoils  in  a  warm  place,  so  it  is  well,  when  possible,  to 
select  a  substitute  for  meat. 

A  quarter  of  a  pound  of  cheese  contains  the  same 
nourishment  as  i  qt.  of  milk  or  as  much  as  ^2  lb.  of  meat. 

Two  eggs  are  equal  to  j4  Mb-  of  meat. 


260      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Nuts  are  only  5  per  cent,  water  and  the  remaining  95 
per  cent,  is  nourishing. 

Thirty  walnuts  (without  shells)  contain  as  much  fat 
as  %  lb.  of  meat. 

There  is  much  nutritive  value  in  olive  oil. 

Sandwiches  made  with  salad  dressing  and  lettuce, 
chicory,  cucumber  and  celery,  do  not  give  much  nour- 
ishment apart  from  the  oil  and  bread,  but  we  do  get  re- 
freshment, water  and  salts. 

Vegetables,  fish,  cut  fruit  and  meat  make  good  sand- 
wiches, but  spoil  quickly  in  a  hot  place. 

Salad  oil  becomes  rancid  if  kept  in  a  warm  place  for 
any  length  of  time. 

All  these  facts  should  help  decide  what  kind  of  sand- 
wiches should  be  taken  on  a  picnic. 

As  a  rule,  cold  food  is  not  so  appetizing  as  hot  food 
(this  does  not  mean  iced  dishes),  and  hence  great  care 
should  be  taken  to  make  every  sandwich  dainty,  even 
though  it  seems  fussy  and  unnecessary  at  the  time.  All 
should  be  the  same  shape  and  size,  and  the  edges  cut  even 
with  a  sharp  knife. 

To  Make  a  Sandwich. 

Prepare  the  material  that  you  are  to  put  in  the  sand- 
wich. 

Have  oiled  or  tissue  paper  ready  (if  the  sandwich  is  to 
be  taken  away). 

Cut  the  bread  in  slices  one  quarter  of  an  inch  thick. 
Butter  with  soft  butter  (mash  if  butter  is  hard).  If 
very  dainty  sandwiches  are  desired,  cut  off  the  crust  after 
sandwich  is  filled,  but  remember  that  the  crust  cut  off 
is  just  so  much  food  value  wasted. 

Spread  filling  on  one  slice  of  bread  and  place  the  other 
evenly  on  top.  Wrap  in  the  paper  before  bread  dries. 


A  HOT  WEATHER  LESSON  261 

Remember  that  knives  and  forks  are  not  usually  at 
hand  when  sandwiches  are  eaten.  Anything  of  fibrous 
texture  must  be  chopped  fine,  as  eating  with  the  fingers 
is  unattractive  if  the  food  is  not  very  dainty  to  handle. 

Never  use  anything  excepting  oiled  or  tissue  paper  for 
wrapping  the  sandwich.  Never  use  newspaper.  There 
are  people  who  are  so  careless  and  have  so  little  thought 
for  health  that  they  will  use  a  dirty,  inky  newspaper  to 
wrap  about  a  luncheon.  Newspapers  are  made  from 
dirty  rags ;  the  printer's  ink  used  on  the  type  is  black, 
greasy  oil  (rub  it  off  on  your  hands  and  see  for  your- 
self). After  the  newspaper  is  printed  it  is  carried  by 
boys  who  handle  it  with  dirty  hands. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

CITY  WASTE 

GARBAGE,  ASHES  AND  REFUSE 

The  reason  why  every  one  needs  to  know  about  the 
disposition  of  the  city  refuse  is  because  the  ignorance  and 
thoughtlessness  of  citizens  is  keeping  back  this  disease- 
prevention  work.  Look  down  any  air-shaft,  or  look  into 
the  alleys  back  of  the  tenement  houses,  and  see  the  abso- 
lute disregard  of  the  law  which  reads :  "  No  person  shall 
place  ashes,  rubbish,  garbage,  refuse  or  other  matter  in 
the  yards,  open  areas  or  alleys  connected  with  or  appur- 
tenant to  any  tenement  house,  except  in  suitable  re- 
ceptacles provided  for  the  same."  Until  these  laws  are 
known  to  every  individual,  and  kept,  the  Street  Clean- 
ing Department  and  the  Health  Department  combined 
cannot  make  a  city  healthy. 

When  any  citizen  throws  rubbish  from  the  window, 
or  tosses  papers  on  the  street,  he  fs  breaking  a  law. 

Why  is  it  difficult  to  make  individuals  do  their  part  in 
this  daily,  municipal  house-cleaning?  Because  so  many 
lack  the  necessary  imagination  to  take  an  interest  in 
things  out  of  sight.  As  soon  as  garbage  or  refuse  is  out 
of  her  house  many  a  woman  ceases  to  feel  any  responsi- 
bility for  the  harm  it  may  do.  Only  education  can  create 
this  civic  interest,  and  only  a  social  spirit  can  make  men 
and  women  regard  the  wrork  of  the  municipality  as  a  per- 
sonal obligation. 

It  is  the  business  of  each  housekeeper  to  see  that  all 

262 


CITY  WASTE  263 

household  waste  reaches  the  large  street  cans,  and  to  see 
that  none  of  it  remains  in  the  pipes  or  in  the  house  re- 
ceptacles. It  is  the  landlord's  responsibility  to  have  large 
covered  cans  to  receive  this  household  waste.  It  is  the 
city's  responsibility  to  care  for  this  waste  after  it  is  out 
on  the  street. 

Here  are  three  laws  included  in  the  sanitary  code  of 
many  of  the  large  cities. 

"  Every  tenement  house  and  every  part  thereof  shall  be 
kept  clean  and  free  from  any  accumulation  of  dirt,  filth 
or  garbage,  or  other  matter  in  or  on  the  same,  or  in  the 
yards,  courts,  passages,  areas  or  alleys  connected  with  or 
belonging  to  the  same. 

"  No  person  shall  place  or  keep  filth  in  any  place  in  a 
tenement  house  other  than  that  provided  for  the  same. 

"  The  owner  of  every  tenement  house  shall  provide 
for  building  proper  receptacles  for  ashes,  rubbish,  gar- 
bage, refuse  and  other  matter." 

All  this  means  that  the  law  demands  that  every  apart- 
ment house  shall  be  kept  clean,  inside  and  out.  According 
to  definition,  the  poorest  tenement  house  and  the  richest 
apartment  house  come  under  the  same  laws. 

In  every  home  there  must  be  three  receptacles  for  the 
material  that  is  to  be  thrown  away : 

Can  for  Ashes  —  this  to  be  emptied  into  the  large 
street  ash  can. 

Can  for  Garbage  —  this  to  be  emptied  into  the  large 
street  garbage  can. 

Baskets  for  Waste  Paper  —  these  to  be  emptied  into 
the  city  paper  bag. 

Useless  rubbish  such  as  old  bottles,  old  mattresses,  tin 
cans,  etc.,  is  called  for  by  the  Street  Cleaning  Depart- 
ment. When  the  department  is  informed  that  there  is 
rubbish  in  a  house,  the  street  carts  must  call  for  it  at  once. 


264      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Never  allow  anything  to  go  into  the  garbage  pail  but 
clean  food-material,  as  dry  as  possible. 

Care  of  House  Garbage  Can. 

A  garbage  can  should  never  be  left  open. 

It  must  be  emptied  every  day. 

If  newspaper  always  lines  the  can,  scraps  of  meat  or 
vegetables  cannot  get  into  the  cracks.  It  will  be  very 
easy  to  wash  it  out  with  boiling  soda-water,  using  a  stick 
with  a  cloth  on  the  end.  Use  the  cloth  for  this  purpose 
only.  In  emptying  the  garbage  can,  throw  the  garbage 
into  the  large  outside  garbage  receptacle,  but  throw  the 
paper  that  lined  the  can  into  the  paper  bag. 

Cleaning  the  Garbage  Can. 

Be  sure  all  food  is  scraped  from  the  can.  Put  in  a 
handful  of  soda,  pour  in  boiling  water  and  wash  around 
with  the  cloth  until  all  the  soda  is  dissolved.  Pour  this 
dirty  water  down  the  toilet  and  rinse  the  can  with  clear 
hot  water. 

When  dry,  air  and  put  in  fresh  newspaper. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  clean  the  ash  can  in  this  way. 
Ashes  are  clean  as  long  as  they  are  not  blown  about. 

Tie  together  papers  before  sending  them  out  to  the 
street  to  be  taken  by  the  wagon. 

What  Becomes  of  the  City  Refuse. 

We  say,  it  is  the  business  of  the  municipality  to  re- 
move 'promptly  all  offensive  and  dangerous  city  refuse, 
but  the  burden  is  too  heavy  for  any  city  department  to 
carry  alone;  without  the  help  of  the  individual  it  is  im- 
possible to  do  the  work  well.  A  great  deal  is  said  and 
written  of  those  diseases  that  can  be  controlled  in  clean 
surroundings.  No  city  department  can  do  this  preventive 


CITY  WASTE  265 

work  alone.  The  street  cleaners  are  the  doctors  keeping 
down  the  death-rate,  but  until  every  person  who  desires 
health  is  willing  to  do  his  or  her  part,  no  number  of  muni- 
cipal doctors  can  control  disease. 

"  The  individual  needs  fresh  air,  pure  water,  good  food, 
safe  shelter,  a  clean  body  and  something  beautiful  to  look 
at." 

When  any  person,  desiring  these  healthy  surroundings, 
becomes  a  part  of  a  city,  he  must  assume  his  share  of  obli- 
gation. 

In  New  York  City  there  were  in  1915,  6,500  men  em- 
ployed in  keeping  clean  1,359  miles  of  streets.  The  great 
majority  of  citizens  are  so  absolutely  uninterested  in  this 
work  that  day  after  day  they  not  only  do  nothing  to  help 
make  the  city  beautiful  and  healthy,  but  they  actually 
hinder  these  men  in  their  work. 

If  the  refuse  of  an  average  city  for  one  year  were  put 
together,  it  would  fill  one  large  city  block  in  a  pile  more 
than  1000  feet  high;  and  if  the  sewage  of  New  York  was 
collected  into  one  stream  it  would  make  a  continuous 
flowing  river  as  large  as  the  Hudson  in  summer.  Surely, 
with  a  problem  as  great  as  is  the  disposition  of  this  huge 
amount  of  waste  matter,  every  man,  woman  and  child 
should  be  trained  to  do  their  part ;  there  must  be  no  pos- 
sibility for  the  excuse,  "I  did  not  know  the  law/'  or  "I 
did  not  know  it  was  my  business."  Action  is  created 
through  interest,  and  what  we  are  interested  in  we  take 
care  of.  Let  every  school  child  become  interested  in  his 
city,  and  he  will  want  to  help  keep  it  clean. 

In  studying  the  disposition  of  a  city's  refuse,  it  is 
necessary  constantly  to  keep  in  mind  the  two  sides  of  the 
question  —  the  sanitary  and  the  business  side.  That  is, 
the  work  must  be  done  well,  but  it  must  also  be  done  as 
efficiently  as  possible. 


266      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

All  city  waste  should  be  taken  care  of  by  the  city, 
rather  than  by  individual  persons  or  companies.  The 
municipal  method  is  more  systematic,  more  sanitary, 
cheaper  for  the  people,  and  easier  for  the  street  clean- 
ers. No  city  where  the  municipality  is  not  responsible 
for  the  disposition  of  its  garbage  and  refuse  is  up  to  the 
highest  civic  standard. 

City  Refuse  or  Waste. 

This  is  composed  of : 

Sewage,  or  night  soil. 

Street  sweepings  —  that  is,  the  soot  and  air  dust;  the 
rubbish  falling  from  refuse-cans ;  manure ;  pavement 
dirt ;  leaves ;  droppings  from  carts ;  bits  of  material  from 
building  construction. 

Garbage  —  Animal  and  vegetable  matter,  and,  in  many 
cities,  dead  animals. 

Ashes  —  including  unburnt  coal. 

Rubbish  —  Paper-boxes,  rags,  bedding,  leather,  rubber, 
metals,  bottles  and  glass,  paper-sweepings  from  houses, 
furniture,  old  clothes,  old  shoes,  old  carpets,  etc. 

Snow. 

Waste  is  matter  whose  present  usefulness  is  over.  It 
must  be  so  taken  care  of  as  to  do  no  harm,  and  must  be 
changed  or  reduced  into  by-products  consistent  with  the 
health  of  the  community.  Health  is  so  closely  allied  with 
the  disposition  of  waste  that  this  side  of  the  subject  is  of 
the  greatest  importance  to  every  one. 

The  expense  to  a  city  of  keeping  its  streets  clean  is  so 
great  that  the  matter  of  the  by-products  becomes  very 
important.  They  must  help  to  pay  the  cost  of  cleaning. 

A  by-product  is  a  secondary  product.  It  is  something 
produced  in  addition  to  the  principal  product.  As,  for 
-example;  food  is  the  principal  product  in  the  use  of  ani- 


CITY  WASTE  267 

mal  or  vegetable  matter,  but  when  the  matter  has  served 
its  use  as  food  and  becomes  garbage,  it  may  be  turned 
into  a  secondary  by-product,  grease. 

A  short  study  of  every  kind  of  city  waste  will  show 
the  danger  if  this  waste  is  not  properly  cared  for,  and  the 
economical  loss  if  it  is  not  reduced  to  its  greatest  value  or 
its  most  marketable  by-products. 

Liquid  Waste  or  Sewage. 

Sewage  is  waste  water  from  houses,  street  refuse  and 
area  drainage. 

There  is  an  average  of  one  hundred  gallons  of  sewage 
per  person  to  be  disposed  of  every  day.  The  responsibil- 
ity of  caring  for  this  falls  on  the  city,  and  there  is  no 
profit  to  be  derived  from  this  liquid  waste. 

Inland  communities  must  bury  the  sewage ;  this  is  a 
costly  and  unsatisfactory  method.  In  cities  situated  near 
water,  the  sewage  is  often  carried  into  the  rivers,  ocean 
or  lakes,  and  the  great  danger  is  the  pollution  of  the  water. 
'In  the  last  few  years  much  progress  has  been  made 
in  the  purification  of  domestic  sewage,  which  can  now 
be  so  disinfected  and  filtered  that  all  danger  is  re- 
moved. Engineers,  sanitarians  and  chemists  are  con- 
stantly working  on  the  subject  of  the  safe  disposal  of 
sewage  —  but  there  is  much  municipal  house-cleaning 
still  to  be  done. 

Street  Sweepings. 

Country-road  dust  is  composed  principally  of  ground-up 
rock,  and  is  comparatively  clean,  because  the  country 
roads  are  but  little  used  for  travel.  In  cities,  however, 
there  is  a  natural  fouling  of  the  city  streets  which  comes 
from  the  animal  manure,  wear  from  the  pavements,  soot, 
dust  from  the  air,  slobbering  of  animals.  This  dirt  can- 


268      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

not  be  avoided ;  it  can  only  be  scientifically  taken  care  of. 
There  is  also  the  unnatural,  unnecessary  dirt:  sputum 
from  human  beings,  scattered  garbage,  house-sweepings, 
and  droppings  from  carts.  The  danger  comes  when  this 
mixture  of  natural  and  unnecessary  filth  is  ground  fine  by 
the  action  of  traffic.  In  this  condition  it  is  mud  or  slime 
in  wet  weather,  and  dust  in  dry  weather.  The  slimy 
mud  sticks  to  the  feet  and  clothing  of  the  people,  and  in 
this  way  is  carried  into  homes  and  stores,  where  it  mixes 
with  the  air,  and  this  contaminated  air  finds  a  lodgment  in 
the  human  lungs.  This  street  dust  settles  on  furniture, 
our  fingers  come  in  contact  with  this  dust  and  later  touch 
food ;  the  dust  also  settles  directly  on  uncovered  food  and 
the  food  becomes  contaminated  and  carries  disease  to 
human  beings. 

Dust,  in  dry  weather,  requires  neither  clothing  nor 
boots  to  carry  it  into  our  homes ;  it  blows  in  through 
windows,  doors  and  the  smallest  crack.  Mud  is  less  ob- 
jectionable than  dust,  but  mud  in  warm  weather  becomes 
a  breeding-place  for  germs. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  it  is  not  enough  to  remove 
layer-dirt  from  the  streets ;  it  is  the  mud  and  dust  under- 
neath that  hold  the  disease  germs. 

There  are  three  methods  of  cleaning. 

Method      I  —  Hand-sweeping. 

Method    II  —  Machine  sweeping. 

Method  ///—Flushing. 

Sprinkling  paved  streets  does  not  in  any  way  clean 
them ;  it  simply  turns  dust  into  mud,  which  soon  dries 
and  becomes  dust  again.  It  is  believed  by  experts  that 
if  streets  were  properly  cleaned,  sprinkling  would  be  un- 
necessary. In  large  cities  streets  are  now  flushed  every 
day.  Snow  as  well  as  dirt  is  removed  in  this  way. 


CITY  WASTE  269 

Disposition  of  Street  Sweepings. 

For  the  sake  of  the  city's  health,  street  sweepings,  be- 
ing dangerous,  should  be  disposed  of  every  day.  They 
and  night-soil  are  the  only  refuse  which  have  no  value, 
and  are  the  most  difficult  of  disposal.  For  example,  it  is 
not  easy  to  burn  street-dirt  because  the  sweepings  carry 
moisture  and  sand.  This  clogs  furnaces  and  adds  vir- 
tually nothing  to  the  heat.  The  animal  manure  is  too 
often  mixed  with  other  rubbish  to  be  of  much  value  as  a 
fertilizer. 

In  some  places  the  street  sweepings  are  disposed  of 
in  dumps,  or  are  used  to  fill  in  roads,  but  this  creates 
offensive  odors,  and  the  disease-laden  material  is  blown 
into  the  air  in  the  form  of  dust.  In  some  cities,  for  ex- 
ample, Columbus,  Ohio,  the  sweepings  are  mixed  with 
water  and  flushed  down  the  sewers,  and  all  danger  is 
thus  avoided.  Here  is,  however,  the  danger  of  a  noxious 
deposit  being  formed  at  the  sewer  outlet,  which  must  be 
cared  for. 

The  care  of  the  sewers  is  every  one's  responsibility. 
We  have  no  right  to  take  the  time  of  street-cleaners  to 
work  over  a  dammed-up  sewer,  clogged  only  because 
some  one  has  thrown  down  sticks,  stones  or  other  solid 
material. 

In  1911,  the  expense  of  cleaning  the  streets  of  New 
York  City  was  more  than  six  million  dollars,  apart  from 
the  expense  of  removing  the  snow,  which  was  two  and  a 
half  million.  It  is  estimated  that  if  people  had  not 
thrown  litter  on  the  streets  or  in  the  sewers,  and  had 
kept  the  laws  regarding  the  care  of  garbage,  the  cost  of 
cleaning  the  streets  would  have  been  reduced  at  least 
$400,000.  Other  ways  in  which  people  can  assist  in  keep- 
ing streets  clean  is  to  refrain  from  the  filthy  habit 
of  spitting,  and  from  shaking  rugs  and  mats  on  the 


270      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

sidewalk    or    from    the    windows.     Both    are    unlawful. 

A  desire  for  cleanliness  is  contagious.  If  we  make 
it  our  habit  to  be  clean,  others,  almost  unconsciously, 
will  copy  us.  Each  person  should  resolve  that,  "  As  an 
individual  I  will  do  nothing  that  will  contribute  to  the 
disorder  of  the  city  streets,  and  wherever  possible  I  will 
prevent  others." 

Is  there  anything  that  the  city  can  do  to  make  the 
careless  man  and  woman  keep  the  street-cleaning 
laws? 

The  city  can  compel  officials,  who  have  the  power,  to 
arrest  and  fine  all  persons  who  will  not  keep  the  laws. 
As  it  is  at  present,  except  in  cases  of  epidemic  when 
the  citizens  are  thoroughly  frightened,  many  laws  are  a 
mere  farce. 

The  municipality,  also,  can  make  the  keeping  of  the  laws 
possible.  For  example,  when  the  law  says  "  no  person 
shall  throw  papers  on  the  street,"  receptacles  in  which  to 
throw  papers  should  be  in  convenient  places. 

Ashes.  The  ashes  which  are  dumped  in  the  city  ash- 
cans  contain  much  unburnt  coal.  The  accumulated  con- 
tents of  these  cans  has  a  heating  value  of  fifty  per  cent 
of  new  coal.  The  cost  of  obtaining  this  coal  is  collec- 
tion and  the  labor  of  separating  the  coal  from  the  ash. 
The  cost  of  this  combined  labor  is  less  than  fifty  per  cent, 
of  the  value  received.  The  fine  ashes  can  be  used  to  fill 
in  low  land,  and  ashes  mixed  with  lime  will  make  Port- 
land cement.  In  certain  combinations  the  ashes  make  a 
common  brick  material;  in  other  combinations,  they  are 
used  to  make  ornamental  tiles,  and  an  artificial  stone  for 
sidewalks.  In  some  communities,  cesspool  material  and 
ashes  together  are  used  for  fertilizing. 

Every  city  has  its  own  method  of  disposing  of  the  ashes. 

From  New  York  City  the  ashes  are  taken  to  Riker's 


CITY  WASTE  271 

Island  in  the  East  River.  This  island  originally  had 
eighty-six  acres.  In  1914,  because  of  all  the  ashes 
dumped  there,  it  had  grown  to  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres.  The  Street  Cleaning  Department  can  make 
land  on  this  island  until  it  is  fifteen  feet  above  high 
water  mark.  Then  they  must  stop  and  go  elsewhere ;  but 
as  ashes  are  soft  and  constantly  sink,  land  is  slow  in 
making.  Land  made  in  this  way  is  not  good  enough  to 
build  on,  but  on  account  of  the  fertilizing  value  of  the 
ashes,  and  the  vegetable  matter  that  gets  mixed  in  with 
the  ashes,  such  a  dump  can  be  used  for  planting  certain 
rank-growing  things. 

Rubbish. 

When  we  speak  of  rubbish,  we  mean  bottles,  paper, 
rags,  mattresses,  old  furniture,  old  clothes,  old  carpets,  tin 
cans,  broken  crockery,  etc.,  which  have  lost  their  original 
usefulness. 

Rubbish  should  be  collected  by  the  city,  and  the  city, 
not  the  householder,  be  held  responsible  for  its  disposition. 
In  Cleveland,  Ohio,  the  rubbish  is  collected  by  workhouse 
prisoners ;  in  Buffalo,  the  city  contracts  for  the  collection 
of  ashes,  rubbish  and  garbage ;  in  New  York,  it  is  col- 
lected by  the  Street  Cleaning  Department  and  sold  to  a 
contractor. 

The  rubbish  from  which  we  obtain  the  most  valuable 
by-products  are : 

Paper  and  rags.  These  may  be  sold  to  the  paper-stock 
trade,  and  reappear  in  the  form  of  paper  boxes  and  com- 
mon paper. 

Tin  cans.  These  are  generally  melted  and  molded  into 
sash  weights.  The  tin  and  the  solder  are  often  re- 
claimed. Cans  are  also  melted  and  rolled  out  into  sheets 
of  tin  from  which  buttons  are  punched  out.  These  are 


272      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

used  for  nailing  down  building  paper.  The  tin  sheets 
are  used  also  in  fireproof  and  burglar-proof  safes. 

Bottles.  The  unbroken  white  glass  bottles  are  usually 
sold  back  to  the  firm  whose  name  is  blown  in  the  glass. 
Broken  bottles  and  old  glass  are  melted  and  reblown. 
Glass  in  combination  with  other  material  is  used  in  mak- 
ing artificial  stone. 

Empty  Barrels.  These  are  often  returned  to  commis- 
sion merchants  to  be  used  again  for  vegetables,  and  other 
produce. 

Old  Iron.     This  is  used  for  low-grade  castings. 

Old  Shoes.  These  are  sold  for  burnishing  and  polish- 
ing castings. 

In  New  York  the  Street  Cleaning  Department  of  the 
city  is  obliged  to  call  for  and  cart  the  rubbish  of  the  city  to 
thirteen  dumps  on  the  North  and  East  Rivers.  At  these 
dump-stations  are  scows,  or  big  flat-bottomed  boats. 
After  the  rubbish  is  on  these  scows  it  belongs  to  a  con- 
tractor, who  pays  New  York  City  hundreds  of  dollars  a 
year  for  the  privilege  of  looking  over  this  refuse  material 
and  taking  out  anything  of  money  value.  Men  hired  for 
this  purpose  stand  on  the  scow  with  long  forks  and  pick 
out  such  material  as  is  of  commercial  value.  The  con- 
tractor is  obliged  to  return  to  milk-dealers  their  own  milk- 
bottles,  and  for  this  collection  and  return  he  is  paid  by 
the  milk-dealers.  The  rags  are  sold  to  paper-makers ;  tin 
cans,  bits  of  copper  and  ticking  from  old  mattresses  are 
sold  to  various  manufacturers.  After  each  scow  of  rub- 
bish is  looked  over  it  is  leveled  off  and  taken  to  the  city's 
rubbish  dump. 

Until  a  few  years  ago  all  useless  rubbish  was  generally 
taken  out  to  sea  and  dumped.  This  was  stopped  because 
the  rubbish  washed  back  onto  the  shore  or  floated  about  in 
the  water. 


CITY  WASTE  273 

Garbage. 

Garbage  means  animal  and  vegetable  waste  matter  that 
has  served  its  usefulness  as  food. 

Swill  is  another  word  for  garbage.  This  word  was 
used  in  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  and  is  used  to-day 
in  some  parts  of  Massachusetts.  Slops  was  the  word 
used  for  years  in  Philadelphia. 

The  reason  why  it  is  necessary  to  define  exactly  what 
is  meant  by  these  words  is  that  the  public  may  under- 
stand the  laws,  and,  also,  that  the  contractors,  who  often 
are  licensed  to  collect  and  dispose  of  garbage,  may  know 
the  exact  material  for  which  they  are  contracting. 

Garbage  Laws  from  Different  Cities. 

"  Rain  water,  liquids  and  dishwater  must  not  be  mixed 
with  garbage."  "  Garbage  must  be  kept  .in  proper  recep- 
tacles." "  Wells,  courts,  passages,  areas  and  alleys  must 
be  kept  free  from  garbage."  In  some  places,  "  Garbage- 
cans  must  be  outside  in  summer  and  inside  in  winter." 
In  one  city,  "  Garbage-cans  shall  be  placed  two  feet  out- 
side of  lot  line."  In  another,  they  "  shall  stand  outside 
of  street  line." 

These  laws  are  for  the  householder,  but  a  law  that  is 
made  and  not  kept  is  worse  than  no  law  at  all.  There  are 
three  ways  for  the  city  to  enforce  garbage  laws : 

1.  Educate  the  people,  especially  the  children;  "sani- 
tary instruction  is  even  more  important  than  sanitary 
legislation." 

2.  Fine  those  who  will  not  keep  the  law. 

3.  Refuse  to  collect  garbage  if  it  is  not  placed  accord- 
ing to  the  law,  and  report  the  negligent  householder. 

The  city  of  Washington  and  many  other  cities  make 
it  a  crime  for  any  person  to  disturb  garbage  after  it 
has  been  put  in  a  garbage  receptacle.  This  is  to  prevent 


274      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

the  turning  over  of  garbage  for  the  collection  of  pos- 
sible junk,  food,  bones,  fat  and  in  so  doing  scattering  it 
on  the  street. 

Odors  and  Decay. 

Garbage  is  subject  to  rapid  decay,  and  as  this  decay 
goes  on  objectionable  odors  are  given  forth.  This  is  one 
reason  why  the  collection  of  garbage  is  such  an  insistent 
part  of  municipal  house-cleaning,  and  why  the  dumping 
of  garbage  is  offensive.  Decay  takes  place  more  rapidly 
in  warm  weather  than  in  cold,  and  there  is  half  again 
as  much  garbage  in  summer  as  there  is  in  winter.  When 
we  consider  the  fruit-skins,  pea-pods,  melon-rinds  and 
other  vegetable  coverings  that  are  thrown  out  during  the 
summer  months,  it  is  easy  to  account  for  this  increase. 

Garbage  Cans. 

These  are  nearly  always  offensive,  and  how  to  keep 
them  clean  is  a  difficult  matter.  To  disinfect  these  cans 
and  to  make  laws  that  will  insure  their  cleanliness  have 
been  attempted  by  many  cities  and  by  hundreds  of  in- 
dividual experts ;  but  the  required  size  of  the  city's  gar- 
bage-cans makes  it  impossible  to  force  this  labor  on  the 
women  of  the  home.  For  example,  in  New  York  the 
cans  must  be  large  enough  to  contain  the  garbage  for 
thirty-six  hours ;  in  Cleveland  for  forty-eight  hours ;  in 
Yonkers  for  three  days ;  in  Rochester  the  can  must  allow 
one  gallon  of  garbage  for  every  member  of  the  family. 
The  law  in  Philadelphia  is  that  no  can  shall  be  too  large 
to  be  handled  by  one  man.  It  has  so  far  proved  im- 
practicable for  the  householder  or  the  garbage  collector 
to  wash  these  cans.  Therefore,  in  nearly  all  cities  they 
are  offensive  in  looks  and  odor.  In  Buffalo,  from  May 
i  to  October  30,  there  is  a  law  requiring  that  all  cans  be 


CITY  WASTE  275 

thoroughly  disinfected  every  day  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Board  of  Health.  Water-tight,  covered  receptacles  are 
required  in  all  cities,  and  this  requirement  may  be  easily 
enforced,  but  a  garbage  receptacle  is  clean  only  when 
washed  daily. 

Final  Disposition  of  Garbage. 

In  small  places  garbage  is  fed  to  swine,  the  farmers 
being  willing  to  call  for  it  for  nothing  on  condition  that 
garbage  fit  for  this  purpose  be  kept  separate  from  other 
refuse.  This  method  is  not  considered  sanitary,  because 
disease  is  spread  by  pigs  eating  contaminated  meat.  Hogs 
so  fed  are  apt  to  develop  disease  and  their  feeding-places 
are  necessarily  dirty  and  offensive. 

Dumping  is  never  a  method  of  garbage  disposal,  for  the 
dumps  would  become  unsanitary,  and  a  breeding-place  for 
flies.  Any  waste  heap  is  a  gathering-place  for  the  poor  of 
the  city  who  hope  to  find  junk  or  food. 

In  still  other  towns  garbage  is  buried.  This  method 
is  expensive,  as  it  requires  much  unused  land.  It  is  also 
a  nuisance,  for  such  a  burying-place  has  to  be  near  the 
city,  as  a  long  haul  is  very  expensive. 

Garbage  when  carried  out  to  sea  and  dumped  in  the 
water  floats  back  to  shore. 

There  are  but  two  scientific  methods  of  disposing  of 
garbage : 

First:  Reduction  method,  cooking  the  garbage  into 
grease. 

Second:     Incineration,  burning  and  destroying  it. 

One  or  the  other  of  these  methods  is  now  employed  in 
most  of  the  large  cities. 

Reduction  Method. 

When  the  reduction  method   is  used,  the  garbage  is 


276      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

boiled  down  and  made  into  grease.  The  grease  made 
from  garbage  is  the  most  valuable  by-product  of  all  city 
waste.  Dead  animals,  in  some  states,  are  included  with 
garbage,  while  in  other  places  they  are  sold  separately. 
Every  part  of  an  animal  has  value  and  can  be  turned  into 
some  by-product. 

To  understand  this  reduction  method,  take  for  example 
New  York  City.  All  the  garbage  of  New  York  is  taken 
by  the  street  cleaning  department  to  one  of  the  seven 
garbage  dumps  and  there  loaded  onto  scows.  These 
scows  are  separate  from  the  ash  and  refuse  scows.  From 
the  moment  the  garbage  reaches  the  dump,  the  city  has  no 
more  responsibility.  It  is  sold  to  a  contractor  either  by 
the  ton  or  by  yearly  contract.  In  1914  New  York  City 
received  twenty-one  cents  a  ton  for  its  garbage.  Another 
year  the  agreement  was  $85,500  for  the  year's  garbage, 
not  including  hotel  garbage  or  dead  animals.  Hotels, 
realizing  the  value  of  this  waste  matter,  are  not  willing  to 
give  it  to  the  city  but  make  separate  contracts  with  soap 
makers ;  a  large  hotel  receives  as  much  as  $3,000  a  year 
for  its  garbage. 

All  dead  animals  in  New  York  belong  to  the  Board  of 
Health. 

The  New  York  contractor  takes  all  garbage  to  Barren 
Island  in  Jamaica  Bay.  On  Barren  Island  is  a  large  gar- 
bage plant,  where  are  huge  boilers,  presses  and  highly- 
heated  furnaces.  The  garbage  first  runs  down  long  nar- 
row troughs,  at  the  side  of  which  little  boys  stand  to  pick 
out  any  pieces  of  glass,  iron  or  hard  material  which  may 
injure  the  boilers.  The  garbage  is  then  cooked  for  eight 
hours.  At  the  end  of  that  time  it  comes  out  a  pulpy  mass 
the  color  and  consistency  of  apple  butter.  Seventy  per 
cent,  of  all  city  garbage  is  water,  and  before  the  grease 
can  be  used  the  moisture  and  fiber  must  be  separated  by 


CITY  WASTE  277 

pressure.  The  pulpy  mass  is  put  into  large  hydraulic 
presses  and  pressed  down  until  the  moisture  in  the  garbage 
is  squeezed  out  and  run  into  large  basins.  Here  the 
grease  rises  and  flows  into  tanks  where  the  water  —  what 
is  still  left  of  it  —  is  further  separated  from  the  grease. 
The  grease  then  is  drained  into  barrels.  Until  the  late 
war,  much  of  this  grease  was  sent  to  Belgium  for  the  mak- 
ing of  soap.  In  Belgium  they  have  a  process  of  taking 
the  glycerine  out  of  the  grease,  and  as  this  glycerine  is 
very  valuable,  it  is  more  profitable  to  sell  it  to  the  country 
where  it  can  be  extracted  to  the  best  advantage.  At  least 
one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  grease  were  sent  to 
Europe  each  day  from  New  York  alone. 

After  the  grease  has  been  extracted  from  the  garbage, 
the  fibrous  part  is  left.  The  next  step  is  to  get  this  fiber 
very  dry.  This  is  done  by  the  application  of  tremend- 
ous heat,  but  even  this  great  heat  cannot  entirely  extract 
the  grease.  So  the  fiber  is  put  into  great  cylinders  and 
naphtha  is  poured  in,  then  pumped  out  again  and  again 
until  the  naphtha  comes  out  perfectly  white,  which  shows 
there  is  no  more  grease  in  the  fiber.  The  fiber  is  used 
mostly  for  fertilizing  the  tobacco  countries  of  the  South. 

ANOTHER  EXAMPLE  OF  REDUCTION 
METHOD 

Columbus,  Ohio,  is  said  to  have  the  best  reduction  plant. 
Its  garbage  collections  are  made  by  the  city  and  disposed 
of  at  the  city's  plant.  These  collections  are  made  in  cov- 
ered carts,  with  spring  seats  for  the  drivers.  The  horses 
are  provided  with  good  stables,  the  men's  quarters  with 
bathrooms  and  lockers. 

The  carts  dump  the  garbage  into  steel  cars  which  carry 
it  to  the  reduction  building.  There  the  garbage  is  weighed 
in  the  car,  which  then  turns  over,  dumping  the  contents 


278      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

upon  a  floor.  In  this  floor  are  drains,  and  the  water  from 
the  garbage  drains  into  a  gutter,  from  which  it  passes 
into  a  catch  basin,  thence  into  grease  separating  tanks, 
where  any  grease  remaining  may  be  freed  from  the 
water.  The  garbage  is  then  shoveled  into  long  troughs 
and  conveyed  to  the  top  of  the  reduction  building ;  thence 
it  goes  into  big  spouts,  which  discharge  it  directly  into 
eight  great  digesters.  Here  it  cooks  from  six  to  eight 
hours.  It  is  then  poured  into  receiving  hoppers.  From 
these  hoppers  this  cooked  mass  passes  into  presses  which 
press  out  the  moisture  and  grease,  leaving  the  fiber,  used 
as  fertilizer.  The  grease  is  then  pumped  into  tanks, 
where  it  is  separated  from  the  remaining  water.  There 
are  six  of  these  tanks.  The  grease  rises  in  the  first  and 
overflows  into  the  second,  and  so  on,  until  it  reaches  the 
sixth  tank,  when  it  is  almost  pure  grease.  Thence  it 
passes  to  the  drier,  and  the  remaining  water  is  evaporated. 
After  the  grease  has  been  taken  off,  what  is  left  is  a 
molasses-like  compound  called  "  stick,"  which  is  added 
to  the  fertilizer. 

Incineration. 

This  means  destruction  by  burning. 
An  incinerator  burns  and  destroys  rubbish  as  well  as 
garbage.     This  method,  because  it  destroys  all  germs  of 
disease,  is  approved  by  the  medical  profession. 

There  are  four  classes  of  waste  to  be  disposed  of  under 
this  method : 

First  —  Wet  Garbage,  which  has  no  heat  value.     This 

includes  dead  animals. 
Second  —  Refuse  that  is  combustible,   such  as  shoes, 

rubbers,  bedding,  paper,  etc. 

Third  —  Refuse  that  is  not  combustible,  such  as  cans, 
iron,  stones. 


CITY  WASTE  279 

Fourth  —  Ashes,  which  have  the  heat  value  of  the  un- 
burnt  coal. 

Incinerator  Plant. 

Generally,  an  incinerator  plant  consists  of  from  two  to 
twelve  furnaces.  It  is  usually  three  stories  in  height,  with 
a  chimney  which  must  be  very  high  in  order  to  create 
sufficient  draft.  The  raw  material  is  received  at  the  top 
of  the  building.  Many  incinerators  have  the  refuse 
dumped  on  a  moving  platform.  On  each  side  of  this  stand 
"  sorters,"  who  pick  out  the  non-combustible  material  as 
it  passes,  and  these  are  later  sold  as  by-products.  The 
refuse  remaining  is  then  mixed  for  burning.  This  mixing 
is  necessary,  as  there  must  be  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent, 
of  dry  material  in  order  to  insure  combustion.  This  mix- 
ture of  garbage,  ashes,  rubbish  and  dead  animals  is  fed 
into  the  furnaces,  from  the  rear,  first  on  to  a  grate  where 
it  is  partly  dried.  It  is  then  raked  forward,  where  the 
heat,  created  by  forced  draft,  passes  over  it,  causing 
evaporation,  and  under  it,  causing  combustion.  After  the 
refuse  has  been  destroyed,  the  clinkers  (broken  up  with 
bars)  fall  through  to  the  basement  and  are  raked  into 
clinker  cars.  In  nearly  all  incinerators  coal,  coke  or 
shavings  are  added  to  help  the  material  burn. 

The  by-products  from  this  method  of  burning  garbage 
and  rubbish  are : 

First  steam  from  the  great  heat.  In  Minneapolis,  this 
steam  is  used  to  heat  the  poor-house,  and  to  drive  the 
machinery  that  produces  the  electricity  used  in  the  street- 
cleaning  plant. 

In  Frederiksburg,  Denmark,  the  steam  from  the  incin- 
erators heats  twenty-four  blocks  of  .hospital  buildings, 
and  is  sufficient  for  the  washing,  cooking  and  all  disin- 
fecting. 


280      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Second  by-product  —  clinkers.  This  combined  with 
asphalt  makes  a  dustless,  sanitary  payment.  Building 
blocks,  slabs,  brick  and  mortar  are  also  made  from  clinkers 
in  combination  with  other  material. 

Third  by-product  —  dust.  The  dust  left  from  combus- 
tion, when  mixed  with  asphalt,  makes  a  good  filler.  Five 
hundred  tons  of  dust  (which  is  a  good  yearly  average  for 
a  large  incinerator)  can  be  sold  for  about  $1200. 


ARGUMENTS  FOR  AND  AGAINST  THE  TWO 
METHODS 

One  of  the  arguments  for  the  reduction  method  as 
against  incineration  is  that  refuse  can  be  seldom  entirely 
destroyed ;  which  means  that  the  remainder  has  to  be 
dumped.  To  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  burning  this  wet 
material,  one  has  only  to  think  how  hard  it  is  to  burn 
wet  grass  which  easily  becomes  a  smoldering  mass. 
However,  the  material  is  sterilized  by  the  cooking,  and 
there  is  no  danger  of  disease  germs. 

Another  point  against  the  practicability  of  incineration 
is  that  the  principal  by-product,  steam,  is  too  variable  to 
be  useful.  In  summer  there  is  an  excess  of  wet  garbage 
and  an  equal  decrease  of  ashes ;  in  winter  less  moisture 
and  more  steam.  Consequently  the  steam  from  an  in- 
cinerator plant  is  very  fickle. 

On  the  other  hand,  an  equal  number  of  reasons  are 
given  why  the  incinerator  is  better  than  the  reduction 
method. 

Reduction  plants,  because  of  the  odor,  are  usually  built 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  a  city,  and  this  necessitates 
long  hauls  at  much  expense.  In  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  the 
plant  is  in  the  center  of  the  city.  This  is  seldom  possible. 


CITY  WASTE  281 

however,  for  citizens  will  not  have  garbage  reduction 
plants  near  their  homes. 

The  reduction-plant  machinery  is  expensive  to  operate 
and  to  keep  in  repair;  but  one  reduction  furnace  is  built 
for  a  city,  as  against  many  incinerator  furnaces.  It 
stands  to  reason  that  it  would  be  a  great  calamity  to  a 
city  to  have  its  one  garbage  plant  destroyed  or  even  seri- 
ously injured.  The  incinerator  furnaces  being  less  ex- 
pensive, many  are  built  for  a  city  and  the  temporary 
injury  to  one  is  not  serious. 

The  greatest  point  for  the  incinerator  over  the  reduc- 
tion plant  is  that  all  infected  matter  is  destroyed  or  steril- 
ized. The  chief  argument  for  reducing  refuse  is  that 
the  by-products,  especially  grease,  are  very  valuable  and 
can  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  city. 

Only  sanitary  experts  can  decide  these  important  ques- 
tions, but  surely  every  one,  if  intelligent  in  regard  to  the 
care  of  the  city  waste,  can  do  his  part  in  keeping  the  city 
clean.  First,  by  knowing  the  laws;  second,  by  keeping 
them ;  third,  understanding  as  far  as  possible  the  street 
cleaning  problem  of  his  individual  city,  in  order  to  help 
solve  that  problem. 


WHAT  THE  BODY  NEEDS. 

The  combined  food  material  eaten  gives  the  body  the 
daily  fuel  needed. 

Raw  food  when  unfit  for  nourishment  is  made  nu- 
tritious by  cooking. 

Blood,  muscle,  bone,  tendon,  brain  and  nerve  —  all  or- 
gans and  tissue  of  the  body  —  are  built  from  the  nutritive 
part  of  food. 

With  every  motion  of  the  body,  with  every  exercise  of 
feeling  and  thought,  material  is  consumed  and  must  be 
resupplied  by  food. 

Protein  compounds  supply  the  building  and  repair  ma- 
terial; not  more  than  %  of  the  food  eaten  should  be  of 
this  tissue  building  quality. 

Carbohydrates  and  fats  supply  the  energy  or  fuel  value : 
Y^.  fats  and  ^4  starch  or  carbohydrates.  Authorities 
differ  as  to  the  per  cent,  of  food  compounds  needed. 

Mineral  in  food  give  lime  to  the  bones. 

Calories  are  fuel  units. 

The  calories  required  depend  upon  the  size  of  the  body 
and  the  energy  exerted. 

Requirement  per  day  Fuel  Value 

For  Calories 

Man  doing  ordinary  work 34J5 

Man  at  hard  labor   5,005 

Professionals,  teachers,  etc 3,220 

Woman  at  moderate  active  work 2,700 

Woman  at  light  work 2,450 

Boy  of  15-16  years  of  age   3,069 

Boy  of  13-14  years  of  age  1  Q 

Girl  of  15-16  years  of  age]  ' 

Child  under  3  years  of  age 1,023 

282 


INEXPENSIVE  COOKING  RECEIPTS 


CONTENTS  OF  COOKING  RECEIPTS 

PAGE 

BEVERAGES 287 

CEREALS 289 

CEREALS  IN  COMBINATION  WITH  OTHER  FOODS     .      .     .  292 

SOUPS 295 

PREPARATION  OF  SOUPS  FOR  CHILDREN 299 

EGGS 302 

FISH 306 

How  TO  COOK  FISH  FOR  CHILDREN 309 

MEAT  DISHES 310 

BAKED  MEAT  DISHES 313 

VEGETABLES 318 

VEGETABLES  ESPECIALLY  FOR  CHILDREN 324 

SAUCES 326 

SALADS 328 

CHEESE 332 

MUFFINS,  BREADS,  ETC 334 

SANDWICHES 341 

DESSERTS 344 

PUDDING  SAUCES 351 

CAKES  AND  COOKIES 353 

COOKED  FRUITS 358 

MARMALADE,  JAM  AND  JELLY 362 

ITALIAN  RECEIPTS 365 

KOSHER  RECEIPTS 369 


THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT       285 


VALUE  OF  A  FEW  FOODS  TAKEN  FROM  BULLETIN 
UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 


Fuel  value   of  food 
material  (as  pur- 
chased) 

Refuse 

Water 

Protein 

Carbo- 
hy- 
drate 

Fat 

Fuel 

value 
per 
pound 

Beef,    fresh    sir- 
loin steak  .... 
Beef  rump 

Per  ct. 

12.8 
2O7 

Per  ct. 

54-0 
4C  o 

Per  ct. 

I6.5 
13.8 

Per  ct. 

Per  ct. 

16. 

20.2 

Calories 

•975 
1.090 

Beef,  corned  beef 
Veal,  hind  quar- 
ter 

8.4 

2O  7 

49.2 
=562 

14-3 
162 



23-8 

6.6 

1.245 
580 

Mutton,     loin 
chops 

16  o 

42  O 

13.8 

28.3 

1.41  1> 

Pork  chops    .... 
Soups  : 
Cream  of  celery 

197 

41.8 

886 

13-4 
2  I 

C  o 

24.2 
28 

1.245 

2W 

Beef 

Q2  Q 

4  4 

I.I 

•4 

120 

Tomato   .... 

QO.O 

1.8 

5.6 

i.i 

185 

Poultry  : 
Chicken  

41.6 

43-7 

12.8 

1.4 

305 

Turkey 

22  7 

22  7 

161 

184 

1.  060 

Fish: 
Cod- 

2Q  Q 

588 

n.  i 

o 

220 

Shad  roe  .     .  . 

71.2 

20.9 

2.6 

3-8 

60O 

Canned  salmon 
Canned        sar- 
dines     
Oysters  (without 
liquor)   . 

5-o 

63.5 

53-6 
88.3 

21.8 

23.7 

6.0 

3-3 

I2.I 
I2.I 
1.3 

915 
950 

225 

Clams 

808 

10  6 

C  2 

I  I 

?4O 

Esrsrs 

1  1.  2 

65  5 

IT..I 

O.-? 

635 

Butter    

II.O 

1.0 

85.0 

34IO 

Whole   milk    ... 
Cheese 

.... 

87.0 

•34  2 

3-3 
2^  O 

5-0 
2  4 

4.0 

•3^.7 

310 

1.885 

Flour 

114 

13.8 

71.6 

1.9 

.650 

Macaroni    
Corn   meal 

.... 

10.3 

12  5 

13-4 
o  2 

74-1 

7C  4 

.9 
1.9 

•645 
63=5 

Oat  meal    
Rice               

.... 

7-7 

12.'? 

16.7 

8.0 

66.2 
79.0 

7-3 
•3 

.800 
.620 

White  bread   .  .  . 
Sugar,        granu- 
lated      



35-3 

9.2 

53-1 

IOO.O 

1-3 

.200 
.7CO 

Molasses     

70.0 

.225 

Maole  siruo  . 

71.4 

.2=50 

286      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 


Fuel   value    of   food 
material   (as  pur- 
chased) 

Refuse 

Water 

Protein 

Carbo- 
hy- 
drate 

Fat 

Fuel 
value 
per 
pound 

Vegetables  : 
Dried  beans  .  . 
String  beans  .  . 
Beets    

Per  ct. 

7-0 
iq  O 

Per  ct. 

12.6 
83.0 

70  o 

Per  ct. 

22.5 
2.1 
I.I 

Per  ct, 

59-6 

6.9 

7  7 

Per  ct. 

1.8 

.3 
I 

Calories 

1-520 
170 
1  60 

Peas  dried   .  .  . 
Peas      shelled, 
fresh 
Cabbage  

iq.O 

9.5 

74-6 

77-7 

24.6 

7-0 

1.4 

62.0 

16.9 
48 

I.O 

1.0 

2 

1.565 
440 

JIC 

Cucumber  .... 
Potatoes    
Corn,        green, 
sweet    
Fruits,  fresh 
Bananas    

15.0 
20.0 

•3C  o 

81.1 

62.6 

754 
480 

•7 
1.8 

3.i 

8 

2.6 

14.7 
19.7 

14  ^ 

.2 
.1 

I.I 

6 

65 
295 

440 
260 

Apples     
Strawberries.  . 
Fruits,    dried  : 
Apples    1 
Apricots  I  ave- 
Dates       f  rage 
Figs 
Raisins    J 
Nuts,         peanuts 
highest    food 
value 

25-0 

5-0 

24.  5 

63.3 
85.0 

20.O 
60 

•3 
•9 

3-0 

TQ  C 

10.8 
8.0 

68.0 
i8q 

•3 
.6 

2.0 
20  I 

190 
150 

1.200 
I  77? 

Chestnuts       low- 
est          food 
value    

16.0 

17.8 

C  2 

•jc  4 

4  t: 

i-//j 

QJC 

Chocolate    

5-9 

12.9 

30.3 

48.7 

2.625 

RECEIPTS 

When  no  mention  is  made  of  the  number  of  persons, 
each  receipt  will  serve  six  people. 

BEVERAGES 

Cocoa  for  One 

2  tsp.  cocoa  YZ  cup  milk 

2  tsp.  sugar  Y*  CUP  water  (boiling) 

Pinch  of  salt  (for  each  cup) 

Dissolve  cocoa  and  sugar  and  salt  in  boiling  water, 
using  saucepan  or  upper  part  of  double  boiler.  Boil  five 
minutes,  and  then  add  milk,  place  over  fire  until  hot,  or 
if  made  in  double  boiler  scald  over  boiling  water. 

Coffee 

For  each  cup: 

I  cup  cold  water 
I  tbsp.  coffee  (heaping) 

Rinse  out  coffee-pot  with  freshly  boiled  water.  Put  in 
coffee.  Pour  on  cold  water  and  let  it  slowly  come  to  the 
boiling-point.  As  soon  as  it  boils  hard,  take  from  fire. 

Tea 

Never  use  water  that  has  boiled  before  or  has  been 
standing  in  the  teakettle.  Draw  fresh  cold  water  and  let 
it  boil  for  the  first  time.  Water  that  has  boiled  before 
tastes  flat  because  the  air  has  gone  out  of  it. 

The  amount  of  tea  to  be  used  depends  upon  the  kind 
of  tea.  The  saying  goes  "  a  teaspoon  for  each  cup  and 

287 


288      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

one  for  the  pot,"  but  this  is  too  much  tea ;  usually  two 
teaspoons  for  four  or  five  people  is  enough. 

Heat  the  tea-pot  by  rinsing  it  with  hot  water.  Put  tea 
into  the  warm  tea-pot  and  pour  in  boiling  water.  Let  it 
stand  five  minutes  and  serve.  (Never  give  tea  to  chil- 
dren; never  let  tea  boil.)  If  you  wish  to  use  the  tea 
later,  pour  off  all  liquid  from  the  tea-leaves  and  heat  this 
liquid  when  desired.  You  will,  thereby,  avoid  drawing 
the  poisonous  tannic  acid  from  the  tea-leaves. 

Chocolate 

2  squares  chocolate  i  cup  boiling  water 

4  cups  milk 

Melt  the  chocolate  and  sugar  in  the  boiling  water.  Al- 
low it  to  boil  hard  for  a  minute  or  two.  Add  the  milk 
and  have  it  thoroughly  mixed  and  very  hot  (but  the  milk 
not  boiling)  before  taking  from  the  fire.  If  sweetened 
condensed  milk  is  used,  omit  the  sugar.  If  sweetened 
chocolate  is  used  very  little  sugar  is  needed. 


CEREALS 

Time-Table  for  Cooking  Cereals 

Cereal  Cups  Cups          Salt  Time 

Amt.  Water          tsp.  min. 

Rolled  Oats i  2l/2  i  40 

Oatmeal  (coarse  ).  i  3^  il/2  2  hrs. 

Pettijohn's i  2  I  40 

Cream  of  Wheat  .  .  i  4  1^/2  40 

Wheatena i  4  1^2  30 

Rice i  6  2  30 

H.  O i  2  i  30 

Hominy   (fine)    ...  I  4  2  i  hr. 

Cornmeal I  4  2  2  hrs.  or 

longer 

All  starchy  foods,  among  them  cereals,  should  be  cooked 
long  enough  to  be  easily  digested.  The  starch  must  be 
liberated  by  the  bursting  of  the  granules.  If  the  cereal 
is  cooked  in  a  very  high  temperature  a  long  time  this 
starch  will  change  into  a  substance  called  dextrine.  If 
starch  is  eaten  before  it  is  changed,  it  is  not  easily 
digested.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  such  emphasis  is  laid 
on  the  necessity  of  cooking  cereals  a  long  time.  Imper- 
fectly cooked  cereals  are  worse  than  nothing,  and  espe- 
cially harmful  for  children. 

Cereals  for  Children  Under  Three 
Cook  in  boiling,  salted  water  for  at  least  three  hours. 
Strain  and  mix  with  milk  or  thin  cream.     Season  with 
salt  but  no  sugar. 

289 


290      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Gruel 

Wash  the  grain  to  be  used  (wheat,  oatmeal) .  Use  four 
tablespoons  of  oats  with  one-half  teaspoon  salt ;  cook  in 
two  cups  of  water  in  a  double  boiler  for  three  hours. 
It  will  then  be  thick  and  creamy.  Be  watchful  to  see 
that  there  is  always  enough  boiling  water  in  the  under  part 
of  the  double  boiler.  After  this  long  boiling,  strain 
through  a  fine  sieve,  mix  with  an  equal  quantity  of  hot 
milk,  a  little  salt,  and  serve  at  once.  Mix  eight  table- 
spoons of  the  strained  cereal  with  eight  tablespoons  of  top 
rnilk. 

Barley  Gruel 

Dissolve  two  tablespoons  patent  barley  in  a  little  cold 
water.  Stir  in  one  pint  of  boiling  water.  Add  a  pinch  of 
salt.  Cook  thirty  minutes  in  a  double  boiler.  Strain  and 
add  an  equal  amount  of  hot  milk. 

Pearl  barley  may  be  used  by  soaking  four  or  five  hours 
and  then  boiling  four  or  five  hours.  Add  water  from 
time  to  time. 

Oatmeal  Gruel,  Without  Double  Boiler 

y2  cup  oatmeal  i  tsp.  salt 

3  cups  boiling  water  ^  cup  milk 

Add  oatmeal  to  boiling  salted  water,  cook  two  hours. 
Add  milk  and  scald  for  a  few  minutes  before  removing 
from  fire.  Strain  before  serving. 

White  Sauce 

2  tbls.  butter  i  cup  milk 

2  tbls.  flour  y$  tsp.  salt 

A  little  pepper 

Measure  flour,  salt,  pepper;  and  butter  in  upper  part 
of  double  boiler.  Cook  together  for  three  minutes. 
Take  from  fire,  add  milk  slowly,  stirring  constantly  to 


RECEIPTS  291 

prevent  lumping.     Put  back  over  upper  part  of  double 
boiler  and  steam  until  it  thickens. 

If  you  have  not  a  double  boiler,  rub  flour  and  butter 
together  with  a  spoon  in  a  small.,  saucepan.  Add  milk, 
and  stir  steadily  over  a  moderate  heat  until  the  sauce 
thickens.  Add  salt  and  pepper. 

Boiled  Rice 

Boiled  rice  is  not  an  easy  dish  to  prepare.  A  very 
careful  study  of  the  subject  is  therefore  necessary. 

i  cup  rice  3  cups  water 

i  tsp.  salt 

Put  water  in  a  saucepan  and  let  it  boil.  Pick  over 
and  wash  the  rice  in  four  or  five  waters.  When  water  is 
boiling  rapidly,  drop  rice  in  so  slowly  that  it  will  not  stop 
the  boiling  of  the  water.  If  the  grains  settle  on  the  bot- 
tom stir  them  gently  with  a  fork,  not  with  a  spoon.  Al- 
low rice  to  boil  from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes  in  a  covered 
saucepan.  Add  salt  when  rice  is  nearly  cooked.  Turn 
into  a  strainer  and  drain  thoroughly.  Dry  in  a  serv- 
ing dish  in  the  oven  for  a  few  minutes  before  serving. 

Old  rice  absorbs  more  water  than  new  rice  and  takes 
longer  to  cook. 

Broken  rice  is  less  expensive  and  just  as  nourishing. 
Rice  is  rich  in  starch  but  lacks  fat. 

Steamed  Rice 

To  three  cups  of  boiling  water  and  one  tablespoon  of 
salt  add  one  cup  of  washed  rice.  Boil  for  five  minutes 
and  then  place  in  upper  part  of  double  boiler  and  let  it 
steam  for  forty-five  minutes. 

To  Wash  Rice 

Always  wash  rice  before  cooking.  Put  rice  in  strainer 
and  wash  in  cold  water,  placing  strainer  over  bowl  of 


292      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

water.     Change  water  and  repeat  the  washing  three  times, 
or  until  the  water  is  clear. 


CEREALS  IN  COMBINATION  WITH  OTHER 
FOODS 

Hominy  Mush  with  Prunes 

Wash  and  pick  over  one-half  pound  prunes.  Soak 
these  in  cold  water  two  hours,  then  cook  in  same  water 
until  soft.  When  nearly  cooked,  add  one-half  cup  sugar. 
Pour  slowly  one  cup  of  hominy  into  four  cups  of  boiling 
water,  salt,  and  boil  one  hour.  Pour  prunes  over  hominy 
and  serve  hot.  Hominy,  or  Indian  corn,  ranks  in  food 
value  next  to  oats  and  with  wheat.  Prunes  have  seventy- 
five  per  cent,  nutritive  value. 

Rice  and  Cheese 

1  cup  rice  %  Mb.  cheese 
3  cups  water  I  tsp.  salt 

2  cups  white  sauce  A  little  pepper 

Boil  rice  as  in  boiled  rice  receipt  and  add  white  sauce. 
Fill  a  pudding  dish  with  this  cooked  rice.  Cover  with 
fine  shavings  of  cheese,  and  bake  until  brown. 

Protein  and  fat  lacking  in  rice  are  here  supplied. 

Rice  Croquettes 

Warm  one  pint  of  cooked  rice  in  two  tablespoons  of 
hot  milk.  Add  the  beaten  yolk  of  one  egg,  and  salt  to 
taste.  Allow  this  rice  mixture  to  cool,  then  shape  it  in 
rolls  and  fry  in  hot  lard  or  deep  fat  of  any  kind.  If  too 
soft  to  shape  add  more  rice. 


RECEIPTS  293 

Rice  with  Cheese 

(For  eight  persons) 

Steam-one  cup  of  rice.  Cover  bottom  of  buttered  pud- 
ding dish  with  this  rice.  Add  in  small  pieces  one  table- 
spoon butter.  Sprinkle  with  thin  shavings  of  cheese  and 
a  little  paprika.  Repeat  until  all  the  rice  and  one-fourth 
pound  of  cheese  are  used.  Add  milk  to  half  the  depth  of 
•contents  of  dish,  cover  with  cracker  crumbs  and  bake 
until  cheese  melts  and  top  browns. 

Cornmeal  and  Syrup 

One  cup  cornmeal  to  six  cups  boiling  salted  water. 
Cook  in  double  boiler  for  three  hours,  add  more  water  if 
necessary.  Serve  hot  with  maple  syrup. 

Samp 

Samp,  or  coarse  Indian  corn,  is  cheap  and  makes  a 
delicious  vegetable. 

Soak  two  cups  of  samp  over  night.  In  the  morning 
drain,  and  pour  cold  water  over  the  samp  in  order  to 
remove  the  out-side  starchy  substance.  Then  boil  in  salted 
water  for  from  three  to  four  hours.  If  the  water 
boils  away  add  more.  Drain  all  water  from  samp,  and 
when  dry  add  two  tablespoons  of  butter  and  a  little  salt; 
serve  hot. 

Hominy  Pudding 

Cook  one  cup  of  hominy  in  four  cups  of  boiling,  salted 
water  for  one  and  one-half  hours.  Drain  and  let  stand 
until  partly  cool,  then  mix  hominy  with  one-half  pint  of 
milk,  two  beaten  eggs,  one  tablespoon  butter.  Bake  in 
pudding  dish  in  oven  for  about  ten  minutes.  Cheese  can 
be  sprinkled  on  top  of  hominy  before  baking,  if  desired. 


294      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Farina  with   Dates 

3  cups  boiling  water  i  cup  farina,  a  wheat  prep- 

i  tsp.  salt  aration 

Put  boiling  water  and  salt  in  top  part  of  double  boiler. 
Add  farina  slowly  while  water  is  boiling,  stirring  con- 
stantly. Cook  over  fire  until  mixture  thickens.  Then 
place  over  hot  water  in  double  boiler.  Steam  thirty  min- 
utes. A  few  minutes  before  serving  add  one  cup  of 
dates  washed  and  cut  in  small  pieces.  Dates  have  high 
nutritive  value. 

For  Cereals  made  into  puddings  see  Desserts. 


SOUPS 

Cream  of  Tomato  Soup 

iy2  cups  milk  il/2  cups  tomato 

3  tbsp.  flour  l/2  tsp.  salt 

3  tbsp.  butter  >4  tsp.  soda 

Little  sugar 

Melt  butter,  stir  in  flour.  Add  the  tomato,  stirring 
constantly.  Add  the  soda  to  this  tomato  mixture.  Have 
milk  scalded  and  add  milk  to  tomato  until  they  are  thor- 
oughly blended  and  the  mixture  thickens.  Add  the  sea- 
soning before  taking  from  the  stove.  Serve  with  crou- 
tons. Strain  before  serving  soup. 

To  make  croutons,  cut  stale  bread  into  one-third  inch 
slices,  cut  off  the  crusts.  Spread  thinly  with  butter. 
Cut  slices  into  cubes.  Place  in  a  pan  in  oven  and  allow 
to  get  a  delicate  brown. 

Fish  Chowder 

I  Ib.  fresh  fish  (cod  or         il/2  pt.  milk 
haddock)  with  bones          3  water  crackers 

3  large  potatoes  Pepper,  salt  and  ^4  lb.  salt 

i  large  onion  pork 

Boil  fish  with  bones  for  about  fifteen  minutes.  Save 
fish  water  by  straining  into  separate  pan.  Pick  fish  from 
bones.  Cut  potatoes  and  onion  into  slices.  Try  out 
pork  and  then  fry  onions  until  a  light  brown.  Place  in  al- 
ternate layers  in  saucepan  —  first  potatoes,  then  fish,  then 
pork  and  onions.  Dust  with  salt  and  pepper  and  continue 
in  this  order  until  all  the  materials  are  used.  Cover 

295 


296      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

the  whole  with  the  fish  water  and  let  the  mixture  sim- 
mer for  thirty  minutes.  Scald  the  milk  and  pour  it 
over  the  whole.  Water  crackers  can  be  split  and  put  in 
at  the  last  moment. 


Vegetable  Soup  with  Meat 

1  Ib.  soup  meat  I  onion  (chopped) 

2  carrots  Small     stalk     celery 
4  or  5  potatoes  (cut  in  (chopped) 

squares)  A  few  soup  greens 

y2  cup  tomato  J£  cup  rice 

Pepper  and  salt  to  taste 

Put  meat  in  cold  water.  Let  it  come  to  the  boiling 
point  and  cook  one-half  hour.  Take  meat  from  water, 
cut  in  small  pieces  and  return  to  the  pot,  adding  more 
water,  also  the  chopped  carrot  and  celery.  Boil  twenty 
minutes.  Wash  the  rice,  and  add  this  and  the  potato 
to  the  soup,  with  seasoning  and  chopped  soup  greens. 
Cook  all  together  for  twenty  minutes  more. 

Scotch  Broth 

I  Ib.  lean  beef  and  bones 

i  cup  dried  green  peas  (washed  and  picked  over) 

1/2  cup  barley 

i  potato 

Little  chopped  cabbage 

Soup  greens. 

Soak  peas  over  night.  In  the  morning  drain  and  cook 
in  fresh  water  with  meat,  bones  and  barley  for  one  hour. 
Add  chopped  cabbage,  potato  and  seasoning.  Cook  for 
one  hour  more,  be  sure  peas  are  soft. 


RECEIPTS  297 

Vegetable  Soup  with  Spaghetti 

I  cup  cabbage,  chopped         y*.  cup  carrot 

4  potatoes  cut  in  cubes          I  cup  tomato 

y^  lb.   spaghetti  2  tbsp.  lard  or  oil 

1  onion  2  cents'  worth  soup  greens 

Salt  and  pepper  to  taste 

Fry  onion  in  fat  until  brown.  Add  this  with  cab- 
bage, tomato  and  carrot  to  one  quart  of  boiling  water. 
Cook  one-half  hour,  then  add  potato,  spaghetti  and 
chopped  soup  greens,  and  cook  one-half  hour  more.  Sea- 
son with  salt  and  pepper. 

Tripe  Soup 
y*  lb.  tripe  2  tbsp.  lard  or  drippings 

2  cups  milk  I  onion 

2  cups  cut  up  potatoes  ^  tbsp.  salt 

2  tbsp.  flour  y%  tsp.  pepper 

Wash  tripe  and  boil  with  sliced  onion  and  cut  up 
potatoes  for  one-half  hour.  Melt  fat  and  mix  with  flour. 
Scald  milk  and  add  to  this  the  flour,  fat  and  tripe  mix- 
ture ;  season,  and  let  it  all  boil  together  until  it  begins  to 
thicken. 

Lentil  Soup 

i  lb.  lentils  2  tbsp.    lard,    oil,    or    drip- 

i  cup  tomatoes  pings 

Soup  greens  i  onion 

Salt  and  pepper  to  taste 

Soak  lentils  over  night.  Allow  them  to  cook  in  the 
morning  for  two  hours.  Fry  onions  in  oil  or  drippings 
until  brown.  Add  to  this  onion  mixture  tomato,  season- 
ing and  chopped  soup  greens.  Fry  for  a  few  minutes 
and  then  add  tomato  mixture  to  lentils  and  boil  all  to- 
gether for  fifteen  minutes  or  more. 


298      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Clam  Chowder  (without  Tomato) 

25  clams  i  tbsp.  butter 

i  onion  2  tbsp.  flour 

Small  piece  salt  pork  2  cups  milk 

3  potatoes  y2  tsp.  pepper 

y2  tsp.  salt 

Boil  the  clams  in  their  own  liquor  for  three  minutes. 
Remove  clams  and  return  liquor  to  fire.  Fry  pork  (cut 
in  slices),  and  chopped  onion  together  until  both  are 
brown.  Add  flour,  stir,  and  allow  flour  to  get  well 
cooked.  Then  add  this  to  clam  liquor  and  season  with 
salt  and  pepper.  Have  potatoes  cut  into  dice,  and  cook 
in  clam  liquor  until  tender.  When  ready  to  serve  add 
milk  and  clams,  which  have  been  chopped. 

Corn  Soup 

i  can  corn  2  tbsp.  butter 

y-2.  pt.  boiling  water  2  tbsp.  flour 

i  pt.  milk  I  tsp.  salt 

i  slice  onion  Pinch  pepper 

Cook  corn  in  boiling  water  for  thirty  minutes.  Scald 
milk  with  chopped  onion,  and  add  milk  to  corn,  then  add 
butter  and  flour  which  have  been  cooked  together  with  a 
little  of  the  milk.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper. 

Celery  Soup 

Cut  stalks  and  leaves  of  one  large  head  of  celery  in 
one-half-inch  pieces  and  add  to  one  quart  of  boiling 
water.  Boil  until  tender.  Make  white  sauce  of  one 
tablespoon  flour,  one  tablespoon  butter,  two  cups  of  milk, 
and  salt.  Press  the  cooked  celery  through  a  sieve.  Add 
this  celery  to  the  white  stock  and  heat  thoroughly  be- 
fore serving. 


RECEIPTS  299 

Mock  Bisque 

2  cups  tomatoes  J^  onion 

2  tsp.  sugar  2  tbsp.  butter 
4  cups  milk  6  cloves 

y2  tsp.  salt  y%  tsp.  pepper 

Sprig  of  parsley  i  bay  leaf 

YZ  tsp.  soda 

Scald  milk  with  chopped  parsley  and  the  bay  leaf. 
Remove  bay  leaf  after  milk  scalds.  Cook  the  tomato, 
onion,  cloves,  and  sugar  together;  add  soda  and  press 
through  a  sieve.  Add  this  tomato  mixture  to  the  milk 
mixture,  adding  at  the  last  the  salt,  pepper,  and  but- 
ter. 

Oyster  Soup 

I  qt.  oysters  4  cups  scalded  milk 

3  tbsp.  butter  3  tbsp.  flour 

Salt  and  pepper  to  taste. 

Take  oysters  from  oyster  liquor  and  wash  in  cold 
water.  Take  out  the  hard  muscle  in  each  oyster.  Strain 
liquor  through  cheese  cloth  and  heat  to  boiling  point. 
Add  oysters  and  heat  until  edges  begin  to  curl  (about 
three  minutes).  Remove  oysters  with  skimmer  and  add 
to  the  liquor  the  scalded  milk  and  the  flour  and  butter 
which  have  been  cooked  together.  Chopped  celery,  or  a 
little  chopped  onion  and  chopped  parsley  may  be  added. 
Season  with  salt  and  paprika.  Just  before  serving  put 
the  oysters  in.  Be  sure  the  soup  is  very  hot. 

If  cream  is  used  instead  of  milk  no  flour  or  butter  are 
needed. 

THE  PREPARATION  OF  SOUPS  FOR 
CHILDREN 

Beef  Juice 

Buy  one-half  pound  lean  beef.     Take  off  all  fat  and 


300      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

gristle.  Broil  over  a  clear  fire  from  six  to  eight  min- 
utes. Cut  the  meat  into  small  pieces  and  squeeze  out 
juice  with  a  lemon  squeezer  (being  sure  it  is  perfectly 
clean).  Add  salt.  When  you  are  ready  to  warm  this 
juice  do  not  heat  it  directly  over  the  fire  but  put  it  in  a 
cup  and  set  the  cup  in  hot  water. 

Beef  Broth 

Buy  chopped  lean  beef  and  use  one  pound  of  meat 
to  one  quart  of  water.  (If  the  child  is  well  grown,  one 
onion  can  be  used.)  Soak  the  meat  in  cold  salted  water 
(with  or  without  the  onion)  for  from  two  to  six  hours, 
keeping  it  on  ice  or  in  a  cool  place  all  the  time.  Then 
in  the  same  water  let  it  slowly  simmer  on  the  stove  for 
three  hours.  Cool  over  night.  Remove  the  fat  in  the 
morning.  Keep  this  broth  covered  in  a  cold  place  until 
needed,  when  it  is  reheated. 

Clear  Vegetable  Soup 

One  hour  before  beef  broth  or  stock  is  cooked,  add 
any  vegetables  desired.  First  wash,  scrape,  and  cut  the 
vegetables  into  pieces.  Just  before  soup  is  done  add  the 
salt.  Take  from  fire,  strain  all  through  a  fine  sieve  into 
an  earthen  bowl.  Let  it  cool  without  covering.  When 
ready  to  serve  remove  the  grease,  add  more  salt,  and  heat. 

Mutton  Broth 

Buy  one  pound  of  the  best  meat  from  neck  of  mutton. 
Cover  with  one  quart  of  cold  water,  add  pinch  of  salt 
and  one  tablespoon  of  crushed  barley.  Let  it  stand  at 
the  back  of  the  stove  one  hour.  Then  move  it  forward 
and  let  it  simmer  for  three  hours.  Add  water  so  that  it 
will  not  fall  below  one-half  pint.  Strain  and  allow  to 
cool.  When  cold  remove  the  fat,  adding  more  salt  if 
necessary. 


RECEIPTS  301 

This  can  be  thickened  with  a  little  cornstarch;  cook 
for  ten  minutes,  and  then  add  three  ounces  of  milk  to 
one-half  pint  of  broth. 

Chicken  Broth 

Cut  up  a  fowl  into  small  pieces.  Take  out  all  skin 
and  fat.  Cover  with  cold  water  and  let  it  simmer  for  six 
hours.  Cool  over  night.  Take  the  fat  off  that  has 
risen  to  the  top.  Season,  strain  off  the  broth,  and  heat 
A  four-pound  chicken  will  make  one  quart  of  broth. 

A  little  cornstarch,  flour,  or  arrowroot  may  be  used 
to  thicken  the  soup. 

Cream  Soups 

Cream  soups  (which  are  very  good  for  little  children) 
can  be  made  of  any  vegetables ;  asparagus,  green  peas, 
string  beans,  spinach,  and  celery  being  especially  good. 
All  of  these  vegetable  soups  are  made  in  the  same  way. 
The  vegetable  is  boiled  until  soft,  and  is  then  pressed 
through  a  sieve.  A  white  sauce  is  made  of  one  table- 
spoon of  butter,  one  tablespoon  of  flour,  a  very  little  pep- 
per, salt  enough  to  season,  and  two  cups  of  milk,  or  one 
cup  of  milk  and  one  cup  of  beef  or  chicken  broth.  In 
the  place  of  flour,  two  teaspoons  of  cornstarch  may  be 
used  as  thickening.  Add  the  strained  vegetable  to  the 
milk,  replace  on  the  fire,  and  allow  it  to  simmer  for  a  few 
minutes. 


EGGS 

There  are  four  reasons  why  raw  eggs  are  given  to  the 
sick. 

1.  They  contain  much  food  value. 

2.  They  are  easy  to  eat. 

3.  They  are  easily  digested  when  raw  or  soft  cooked. 

4.  They  are  free  from  bacteria. 
How  to  Tell  if  an  Egg  is  Fresh. 

1.  Observe  the  shell.     A  fresh  egg  has  a  thick  rough 
shell. 

2.  Drop  the   egg  into  cold  water.     If   it  sinks   it   is 
fresh.     If  it  floats  it  is  stale. 

Care  of  Eggs. 

1.  Wash  the  eggs  with  a  damp  cloth  when  they  first 
come  from  the  store. 

2.  Keep  the  eggs  in  a  cool,  dry  place. 

3.  Never  throw  away  the  shells  of  eggs,  as  they  may 
be  used  to  clear  coffee. 

RECEIPTS  FOR  EGGS 

Soft-Boiled  Eggs 

Put  water  in  a  saucepan.  Let  it  come  to  the  boiling 
point.  Lower  the  eggs  into  it  with  a  spoon.  Remove  at 
once  from  the  fire  and  let  stand,  covered,  for  about  ten 
minutes. 

Eggs  in  a  Nest 

Separate  the  white  of  an  egg  from  the  yolk.  Beat  the 
white  stiff  and  dry.  Put  it  in  a  cup  or  small  dish,  mak- 
ing in  the  top  of  it  a  hollow  the  size  of  the  yolk.  Into 

302 


RECEIPTS  303 

this  hollow  slip  the  yolk.  Set  bowl  in  a  covered  saucepan 
containing  boiling  water.  Cook  until  the  top  of  the  white 
of  the  egg  is  firm. 

Goldenrod  Eggs 
i  cup  white  sauce  6  slices  toast 

4  eggs  boiled  hard 

Separate  the  whites  from  the  yolks  of  the  hard  boiled 
eggs.  Cut  the  whites  into  rather  small  pieces  and  add 
to  the  well-seasoned  white  sauce.  Press  the  yolks  of  the 
eggs  through  a  strainer  or  potato  ricer.  Serve  white  of 
egg  and  white  sauce  on  toast  with  the  riced  yolks 
sprinkled  on  top.  A  little  parsley  around  the  dish  adds 
to  the  taste  and  the  appearance. 

Creamed   Eggs 
i   cup  white  sauce  4  hard  boiled  eggs 

2  tbsp.  grated  cheese 

Remove  the  shells  of  the  eggs  and  cut  in  cubes.  Place 
eggs  in  a  baking  dish  and  pour  over  them  the  white 
sauce.  Sprinkle  a  little  grated  cheese  on  top  and  serve 
very  hot.  If  the  eggs  have  cooled  in  the  preparation, 
place  the  dish  in  the  oven  for  a  few  moments  before 
serving. 

Scrambled  Eggs 

4  eggs  y2  tsp.  salt 

y\  cup  milk  A  little  pepper 

Heat  frying  pan.  Melt  butter  in  it.  Only  enough  to 
grease  the  bottom  of  the  pan.  Beat  the  eggs,  whites  and 
yolks  together.  Add  milk,  salt  and  pepper.  (Water  can 
be  used  instead  of  milk.)  Be  sure  that  the  frying  pan  is 
very  hot  before  eggs  are  poured  in.  Stir  eggs  and  scrape 
from  bottom  constantly  while  cooking.  As  soon  as  eggs 
are  creamy  take  from  fire  and  serve. 


304      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Coddled  Eggs 

Have  water  boiling.  Put  eggs  in  saucepan.  Pour 
over  eggs  the  boiling  water,  cover  and  stand  (away  from 
the  fire)  for  about  ten  minutes. 

These  eggs  are  cooked  all  the  way  through  and  are 
easily  digested. 

Poached  Eggs 

Break  eggs  carefully  one  at  a  time  into  a  saucer 
and  slip  into  a  frying  pan  of  hot  salted  water.  Dip  the 
hot  water  over  the  yolks  with  a  spoon  while  the  egg  is 
cooking.  When  the  white  is  firm,  take  up  the  eggs  with 
a  skimmer,  and  serve  on  hot  buttered  toast.  Sprinkle 
over  each  egg  a  little  salt  and  a  little  paprika. 

Eggs  in  Spanish  Style 

I  cup  tomato  4  hard  boiled  eggs 

YT.  green  pepper  2  tbsp.  butter  or  oil 

I  tbsp.  chopped  onion  Salt  and  pepper 

Parsley 

Cut  eggs  in  half  lengthwise;  separate  yolks  from 
whites.  Put  yolks  in  a  bowl  and  mix  with  salt,  pepper 
and  a  little  olive  oil.  Put  the  yolk  mixture  back  in 
whites  of  eggs.  Make  hot  tomato  sauce  (from  receipt). 
Pour  sauce  over  eggs:  heat  through  and  serve  hot. 

Omelet 

Beat  eggs,  whites  and  yolks  together,  with  a  teaspoon  of 
cream  (or  water)  for  each  egg.  Season  with  salt  and 
paprika.  Turn  the  beaten  egg  into  a  very  hot  pan  which 
has  in  it  enough  butter  to  just  grease  the  bottom  of  pan. 
Constantly  run  a  silver  knife  under  omelet  as  it  begins 
to  harden,  allowing  uncooked  egg  to  flow  under.  When 
all  is  of  a  creamy  consistency  fold  and  serve  at  once  on 
hot  platter. 


RECEIPTS  305 

Albumen  Water 

This  is  ordered  in  case  of  vomiting,  and  a  child  will  be 
able  sometimes  to  retain  albumen  water  when  no  other 
food  will  stay  in  his  stomach. 

White  of  one  fresh  egg          i  tsp.  brandy 
V2  pint  of  cold  water  Pinch  of  salt 

Shake  all  ingredients  thoroughly  together,  and  feed  to 
child  with  a  spoon  or  from  the  feeding  bottle. 


FISH 

Codfish  Hash 

J4  lb.  salt  codfish  J^  cup  milk 

6  medium-sized  potatoes  2  tbsp.  butter 
Parboil  codfish  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes.  Pick 
it  over,  taking  out  all  bone  or  skin.  Boil  and  mash  pota- 
toes,-and  add  them  to  the  fish.  Have  equal  amount  of 
fish  and  potatoes.  Add  the  butter,  and  enough  milk  to 
make  it  a  soft  mass.  Beat  well,  and  season  with  salt  and 
pepper.  Put  into  the  oven  to  brown  or  put  into  buttered 
frying  pan,  and  cook  on  top  of  the  stove  without  stirring, 
until  brown  underneath.  Fold  and  serve. 

Salt  Codfish  Balls 

Soak  the  fish  three  hours  in  water  hot  but  not  boiling. 
Take  from  water  and  when  thoroughly  cold  chop  until 
like  down.  Boil  and  mash  potatoes.  Take  equal  quanti- 
ties of  fish  and  mashed  potatoes  (cup  for  cup),  add  but- 
ter and  season  with  salt  and  pepper.  Make  into  cakes 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  thick.  Have  frying  pan  one-half 
inch  deep  with  pork  fat  or  crisco.  When  very  hot,  roll 
cakes  first  in  beaten  egg,  then  a  little  flour  and  put  in  hot 
fat.  In  five  minutes  they  will  be  a  beautiful  brown. 
Then  turn.  To  be  good,  fish  cakes  should  be  eaten  at 
once  after  taking  from  frying  pan. 

Shredded  Codfish  Balls 
i  box  shredded  codfish         2  eggs 
6  potatoes  I  tbsp.  butter. 

Salt  and  pepper 
306 


RECEIPTS  307 

Soak  codfish  well  and  pick  over.  Put  into  saucepan 
and  cover  with  cold  water.  Let  it  come  to  the  boiling 
point,  but  do  not  boil  it  as  that  would  make  it  hard. 
Strain  water  from  fish.  Put  potatoes  on  to  boil,  cutting 
them  in  small  pieces  so  that  they  will  boil  quickly,  and 
at  the  same  time  put  on  the  fire  one  and  one-half  pounds 
of  lard  in  a  deep  kettle.  This  lard  must  be  very  hot 
before  it  can  be  used  to  fry  the  fish  balls.  Beat  the  eggs 
stiff,  the  whites  and  yolks  separately.  Mash  the  pota- 
toes and  mix  with  the  butter.  No  milk  should  be  used, 
but  the  potatoes  and  butter  should  be  beaten  until  creamy. 
Add  potatoes  to  fish.  Mix  fish  and  potato  mixture  and 
yolks  of  eggs  together,  beating  hard.  The  last  thing  beat 
in  the  whites.  Mold  with  a  spoon,  not  with  the  hands, 
and  drop  in  the  hot  fat.  Cook  until  a  nice  brown. 

Baked  Fish 

Blue  fish,  weak  fish,  or  any  whole  fish  can  be  used  for 
baking. 
i  cup    cracker    crumbs,    or  y%  tsp.  pepper 

bread  crumbs  I  tbsp.  chopped  onion 

l/4  lb.  fat  salt  pork  I  tbsp.  capers 

J/2  tsp.  salt  i  tbsp.  pickle 

Y^  cup  melted  butter 

Clean  fish,  and  wipe  thoroughly  outside  and  in  with 
cloth  wrung  out  of  cold  water.  Make  a  stuffing  of  the 
above  ingredients,  that  is,  bread  crumbs,  onion,  parsley,, 
capers,  pickles,  butter  and  seasoning.  Mix  these  thor- 
oughly together.  Put  the  stuffing  in  the  cavity  of  the 
fish  and  sew  up  the  opening  with  clean  coarse  thread. 
Rub  the  fish  thoroughly  on  both  sides  with  butter  and 
pepper  and  salt.  Cut  gashes  across  the  sides  of  the  fish, 
about  two  inches  apart,  and  in  these  put  tiny  strips 
of  fat  salt  fork.  Dredge  the  whole  with  flour.  Put  in 


308      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

baking  dish,  with  small  pieces  of  pork  placed  on  the 
back,  and  bake  about  ten  minutes  to  the  pound,  basting 
frequently  with  the  pork  which  will  melt  into  the  baking 
fish.  When  nicely  brown  serve  on  platter,  with  pieces  of 
parsley,  sliced  lemon  and,  if  desired,  hard  boiled  eggs 
around  the  dish. 

A  Good  Way  to  Cook  Fish 
I  sliced  fresh  codfish  i  onion 

(about  i   Ib.)  2  tbsp.  butter 

i  carrot  Salt 

1  turnip  Paprika  or  pepper 

Cut  up  the  carrot,  turnip  and  onion.  Boil  these  vege- 
tables gently,  and  when  they  are  half  boiled,  drain  and 
put  into  a  stew  pan  or  casserole  with  butter,  one  cup 
of  vegetable  water,  parsley  and  seasoning.  When  these 
vegetables  are  nearly  cooked  add  the  fish,  and  baste  fish 
with  the  vegetable  mixture  until  fish  is  tender. 

Baked  Halibut  with  Tomato  Sauce 

2  Ibs.  halibut  J^  tbsp.  sugar 

2  cups  tomato  3  tbsp.  butter 
i  cup  water  3  tbsp.  flour 

i  slice  onion  94  tsp.  salt 

3  cloves  y%  tsp.  pepper 

Cook  the  tomato  with  onion,  cloves  and  sugar  for 
twenty  minutes.  Mix  butter  and  flour  and  stir  into  hot 
tomato  mixture.  Add  salt  and  pepper.  Cook  for  ten 
minutes  and  strain.  Clean  fish,  wipe,  put  into  baking 
pan  and  pour  around  it  half  the  sauce.  Bake  thirty-five 
minutes,  basting  often.  Remove  to  hot  platter,  pour 
around  it  the  remaining  sauce,  and  garnish  with  parsley. 
Add  boiling  water  to  the  sauce  if  it  is  too  thick. 


RECEIPTS  309 

Codfish  Pudding 

^2  lb.  dried  codfish  4  good-sized  potatoes 

2  tbsp.  butter  2  cups  milk 

2  tbsp.  flour 

Soak  the  codfish  over  night.  Throw  away  the  water 
in  which  the  codfish  was  soaked.  Boil  in  fresh  water 
for  one  hour.  Boil  and  then  mash  the  potatoes.  Take 
the  bones  out  of  the  codfish  and  mix  fish  and  potatoes 
together.  Make  white  sauce  of  the  butter,  milk  and  flour. 
Add  fish  mixture  to  white  sauce.  Put  in  a  baking  dish 
and  brown  in  the  oven  with  crumbs  on  top. 

HOW  TO  COOK  FISH  FOR  CHILDREN 

Fish  is  a  good  food  for  children  if  it  is  absolutely 
fresh.  It  is  nourishing  and  more  easily  digested  than 
meat.  As  soon  as  the  fish  comes  from  the  market  it 
should  be  scaled,  skinned,  washed  and  put  into  a  cool 
place  at  once.  If  the  flesh  of  fish  is  not  firm  and  hard  it 
is  not  fresh.  Never  fry  the  fish  for  children,  but  boil, 
bake  or  broil  it.  In  broiling  fish,  turn  the  flesh  side  to 
the  fire  first  and  then  the  skin  side.  Be  very  careful 
not  to  scorch  the  skin  side.  Fish  for  children  can  be 
served  plain  or  with  a  milk  sauce. 

Milk  Sauce  for  Fish 

To  white  sauce  add  the  well-beaten  yolk  of  an  egg. 
Do  not  add  egg  until  you  have  taken  the  sauce  from  the 
fire. 


MEAT  DISHES 

Casserole  of  Meat  and  Rice 

2  cups  cooked  rice  Y^  CUP  boiling  water 

i  Ib.  meat  (chopped)  I  tsp.  salt 

i  egg  Dash  of  pepper 

1  onion  I  tsp.  celery  salt 

2  tbsp.  bread  crumbs  i  tsp.  parsley 

Mix  meat,  rice  and  seasoning  together  with  chopped 
onion  and  parsley.  Beat  egg  stiff  and  add  to  meat  mix- 
ture. Put  this  in  a  baking  dish,  sprinkle  'bread  crumbs 
on  top  and  cover.  Bake  in  oven  at  least  thirty  minutes. 

Beef  Stew 

2  Ibs.  upper  part  of  shin  of  4  tbsp.  flour 
beef  with  bone  2  onions 

3  qts.  boiling  water  3  potatoes 

1  turnip  i  tsp.  salt 

2  carrots  i  tsp.  pepper 

Have  meat  cut  in  one  and  one-half  inch  pieces.  Wipe 
the  meat  and  bone  with  a  damp  cloth,  and  sprinkle  meat 
with  salt  and  flour.  Put  fat  from  meat  in  a  hot  frying 
pan  and  try  out.  Add  the  meat  to  this  fat,  turning  it 
often  until  it  is  well  browned.  Then  put  the  meat  into  a 
soup  kettle  with  the  bones  and  seasoning  and  boiling 
water,  rinsing  out  your  frying  pan  with  some  of  the 
water  and  pouring  the  contents  into  the  soup  kettle  so 
that  none  of  the  good  of  the  meat  will  be  wasted.  Let 
the  meat  boil  hard  for  five  minutes,  then  set  it  back 
on  the  stove  and  allow  it  to  simmer  slowly  for  two 

310 


RECEIPTS  311 

hours.  Prepare  vegetables  by  peeling  and  cutting  them 
into  one  inch  cubes.  Add  these  to  meat  and  allow  them 
to  cook  thoroughly.  Peel  and  cut  potatoes  in  cubes  and 
add  them  to  the  soup  kettle  about  twenty  minutes  be- 
fore serving. 

Mince  Meat  on  Toast 

"Use  leftover  meat,  remove  gristle  and  chop  meat  fine. 
Moisten  with  gravy  and  season  with  salt,  pepper  and 
celery  salt.  Put  a  little  fat  or  butter  in  frying  pan  and 
when  very  hot  add  chopped  meat  and  heat  quickly, 
stirring  so  that  it  will  not  stick  to  the  bottom  of  the  pan. 
When  thoroughly  hot,  serve  on  slices  of  hot  buttered 

toast. 

s- 

Pigs  in  Clover 

Cut  bacon  very  thin.  Cut  calves'  liver  about  one- 
fourth  inch  thick.  Drop  the  liver  into  water  below  boil- 
ing temperature  and  let  it  remain  a  few  minutes  to  cook. 
Roll  each  piece  of  liver  in  a  slice  of  bacon,  holding 
bacon  together  with  a  toothpick.  Cook  in  hot  fat  until 
a  light  brown.  This  is  much  improved  when  served  on 
hot  toast. 

Hamburg  Steak 

I  Ib.  chuck  steak  I  onion 

I  tbsp.  butter  I  tsp.  salt 

ys  tsp.  pepper 

Chop  meat  and  onion  together  (every  one  should  have 
her  own  meat  grinder  and  grind  her  own  meat).  Season 
meat  with  pepper  and  salt.  Alake  into  firm  balls,  sear 
in  butter.  Turn  balls  often  and  serve  rare.  Chopped 
parsley  and  lemon  juice  may  be  added  and  one-fourth  cup 
water. 


312      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Plain  Stew 

I  Ib.  breast  of  veal  or  lamb  I  onion 

i  qt.  water  I  carrot 

I  tbsp.  butter  I  turnip 

i  tsp.  salt  2  potatoes 

%  tsp.  pepper 

Gravy:  I  tbsp.  flour,  2  tbsp.  water 
Cut  meat  in  small  pieces.  Put  in  saucepan  with  salt, 
pepper  and  cold  water  or  stock.  Raise  slowly  to  sim- 
mering point,  and  keep  there  until  tender  (two  or  three 
hours).  Cut  vegetables  into  small  pieces,  brown  them 
in  butter  and  add  them  to  the  stew,  twenty  minutes  be- 
fore serving  add  potatoes  which  have  been  peeled  and 
cut  into  squares.  Before  taking  from  fire  add  the  thick- 
ening made  of  flour  and  water.  Boil  hard  for  ten  min- 
utes after  flour  is  added. 

A  Good  Way  to  Use  Leftover  Meat 

i  cup  leftover  meat,  y2  cup  tomato 

chopped  t/2  cup  rice,  boiled 

i  green  pepper  Seasoning 

Put  in  the  center  of  a  baking  dish  a  mixture  of  the 
meat,  chopped  green  pepper,  tomato,  pepper  and  salt. 
Cover  this  meat  mixture  with  the  rice  and  bake  in  a 
hot  oven. 

Corned  Beef  Hash 

1  cup  corned  beef  J/£  cup  milk 

2  cups  potatoes  2  tbsp.  butter 
i  tsp.  salt  y%  tsp.  pepper 

Drop  corned  beef  into  boiling  water  and  simmer,  al- 
lowing thirty  minutes  to  the  pound.  When  cold,  chop 
meat,  but  not  too  fine.  Do  not  use  meat-grinder. 
Chop  cold  cooked  potatoes,  do  not  mash.  Mix  corned 


RECEIPTS  313 

beef,  potato  and  seasoning  together.  Butter  the  bottom 
of  a  pan.  Put  in  the  corned  beef  and  potato  mixture. 
Over  the  top  put  half  the  butter.  Pour  the  milk  over  the 
whole  and  put  the  pan  in  the  oven.  Let  it  remain  there 
for  a  half  hour,  stirring  the  first  ten  minutes.  Reserve 
half  of  the  butter,  and  after  the  second  stirring  melt  the 
butter  and  pour  on  top.  Let  the  mixture  remain  in  the 
oven  without  stirring  until  it  is  brown. 

BAKED  MEAT  DISHES 

Hot  Pot 

i  Ib.  of  shoulder  of  beef  cut  up  into  2  inch  squares 
4  potatoes  sliced  thin 

1  onion  cut  up  fine 

In  a  deep  dish,  which  has  first  been  well  buttered,  place 
a  layer  of  meat.  Sprinkle  with  salt  and  pepper.  Over 
this  sprinkle  one-half  the  onion,  then  a  layer  of  pota- 
toes and  a  little  butter.  Repeat  this,  having  a  thick  layer 
of  potatoes  on  top  to  brown  nicely.  Moisten  with  water 
in  a  covered  dish  and  bake  two  hours  in  rather  a  slow 
oven. 

Braised  Beef 

3  Ib.  of  beef  from  lower  part  of  round  or  face  of  rump 

2  thin  slices  of  fat  salt  pork 
l/2  tsp.  peppercorns 

3  cloves 

1/4  cup  each  of  carrots,  turnips,  onions,  celery  (cut 
these  in  dice) 

A  little  salt,  pepper  and  one  bay  leaf 

Try  out  pork  and  remove  scraps.  Wipe  meat  and 
sprinkle  with  salt  and  pepper,  dredge  with  flour  and 
brown  entire  surface  in  pork  fat.  Place  in  deep  granite 
pan  or  in  earthen  pudding  dish  and  surround  with  vege- 


314      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

tables,  peppercorns  and  three  cups  of  boiling  water. 
Cover  closely  and  bake  four  hours  in  very  slow  oven, 
basting  every  half  hour  and  turn  after  the  second  hour. 
Throughout,  the  liquid  should  be  kept  below  the  boiling 
point.  Serve  with  brown  sauce  made  from  the  liquid 
in  pan. 

Beef  Croquettes 

Chop  very, fine  two  cupfuls  of  roasted  or  boiled  beef. 
Fry  one  teaspoonf ul  of  chopped  onion  and  one  table- 
spoonful  of  butter  until  a  light  brown,  then  add  the 
chopped  meat  and  one  teaspoonful  of  chopped  parsley. 
Now  add  one  cupful  of  mashed  potatoes,  season  with 
pepper  and  salt,  stir  in,  the  last  thing,  two  eggs  well 
beaten.  Form  into  croquettes,  dip  in  egg,  then  in  crumbs, 
and  fry  in  hot  fat. 

Stuffed  Spare  Rib 

I  whole  spare  rib  cracked  in  the  middle 
4  apples  y4  lb.  raisins. 

Wipe  meat  with  damp  cloth.  Slice  apples,  seed  raisins, 
place  apples  and  raisins  on  half  of  spare  rib  and  fold 
balance  over.  Tie  together  (or  sew).  Put  it  on  rack 
in  roasting  pan  and  into  hot  oven.  After  ten  minutes  or 
after  the  outside  is  seared  reduce  temperature  of  oven 
and  put  a  little  water  in  the  pan  with  which  to  baste  the 
roast  occasionally.  Cook  three  hours,  serve  with  the 
gravy  made  in  the  pan. 

Meat  Pie 

For  meat  pie  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  always  the 
same  things.  Leftover  meat  is  needed  and 

1  cup  flour  y2  tbsp.  lard 

2  tsp.  baking  powder  *4  CUP  milk  (or  milk  and  water) 
y2  tsp.  salt  y2  tbsp.  butter 


RECEIPTS  315 

Cut  up  meat,  add  any  leftover  vegetables  that  may  be 
on  hand.  A  little  gravy  or  stock  that  may  be  left  from 
the  day  before  will  add  richness.  Season  with  salt,  pep- 
per and  a  little  celery  salt  and  cover  with  a  crust  made 
after  the  receipt  of  baking  powder  biscuits. 

It  is  fully  as  necessary  to  learn  how  to  put  leftover 
materials  together  in  an  appetizing  way  without  a  receipt 
as  to  be  able  to  follow  a  receipt  book  perfectly.  This  art 
comes  with  practice,  by  tasting  frequently  while  prepar- 
ing the  dish ;  and  it  comes  also  by  an  appreciation  of  the 
value  of  every  scrap  of  leftover  food;  thus  saving  many 
dollars  during  the  year. 

Crust  of  Meat  Pie 

Mix  and  sift  flour,  salt  and  baking  powder.  Cut  in 
lard  and  butter.  Add  milk,  mixing  with  knife.  Bake  in 
oven  until  dough  is  thoroughly  cooked. 

Cannelon  of  Beef 

2  Ibs.  of  beef  from  top  of  round 

i  tbsp.  of  fine  chopped  parsley. 

i  tsp.  salt,  i  of  onion  juice  and  *4  tsp.  of  mace. 

I   egg  beaten. 

%  cup  soft  bread  crumbs 

}4  tsp.  pepper. 

Put  meat  through  the  chopper  several  times.  Add  sea- 
soning, the  beaten  egg,  and  the  bread  crumbs  (which  have 
been  soaked  and  wrung  dry).  Mix  thoroughly  and  shape 
in  a  roll.  Bake  for  thirty  or  forty  minutes.  Baste  fre- 
quently with  fat  from  salt  pork  and  hot  water.  Serve 
with  tomato  or  mushroom  sauce,  or  with  macaroni  and 
tomato  sauce. 

Chops  —  Lamb  or  Mutton 

Chops  should  never  be  fried,  always  broiled  over  or 
under  a  hot  fire.  The  broiler  should  be  turned  very 


316      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

often.  When  the  meat  is  puffy  it  is  done.  If  you  cook 
the  chops  too  long  they  will  be  hard  and  dry.  In  cooking 
a  chop  sear  the  outside  at  once.  Thus  the  juices  are  shut 
in.  It  is  the  steam  shut  into  the  chop  that  gives  it  the 
puffy  look.  It  should  not  take  more  than  eight  or  ten 
minutes  to  broil  a  chop.  If  your  chop  is  two  inches 
thick  it  is  better  than  when  thinner,  as  the  thicker  meat 
will  be  more  juicy.  Before  broiling,  trim  off  the  fat  and 
wipe  with  a  damp,  clean  cloth.  Be  sure  that  the  fire  is 
lively,  and  not  one  that  has  begun  to  cool. 

Beef  Kidney  Stew 

Soak  kidneys  in  salt  and  water  for  half  an  hour.  Melt 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  butter  in  a  casserole.  Add  to  butter 
a  small  onion  chopped  fine  and  the  kidneys,  which  have 
been  salted,  add  pepper,  and  dredge  with  flour.  Then 
add  two-thirds  cup  of  hot  water  and  slice  of  lemon. 
Cook  ten  minutes. 

Cottage  Pie 

I  cup  leftover  meat  J^  green  pepper 

I  cup  gravy  I  onion 

I  cup  mashed  potatoes  Salt  and  pepper 

Chop  onion  and  pepper,  mix  it  with  meat  and  gravy 
and  season  with  salt  and  pepper.  Line  baking  dish  with 
potato  and  put  meat  mixture  in  the  middle.  Spread 
lightly  over  the  top  more  mashed  potato.  Let  the  whole 
bake  in  oven  until  the  top  of  potato  is  a  good  brown. 

A  Good  Gravy  to  Use  with  Leftover  Meats 

*/2  cup  soup  stock  i  tbsp.    butter    or    drip- 

i  tbsp.  flour  pings 

Little  salt  and  pepper 

y-2.  tsp.  minced  onion,  or  green  pepper,  or  both 
Melt  fat,  add  flour  and  cool  for  about  three  minutes. 


RECEIPTS  317 

Add  soup  stock  and  onion,  and  bring  to  the  boiling  point. 
Add  the  seasoning  the  last  thing. 

Potato  with  Meat  Gravy 

2  cups  freshly  boiled  potatoes 

y2  Ib.  meat 

I  tbsp.  flour 

^2  cup  canned  tomatoes 

Mash  the  potatoes  and  season  with  pepper  and  salt. 
Put  meat  in  cold  water  and  allow  it  to  boil  until  tender. 
Take  out  the  meat  and  chop  fine  or  put  through  meat 
grinder.  Make  a  gravy  of  the  stock,  in  which  the  meat 
was  boiled,  by  adding  onion,  fried  in  drippings,  and  toma- 
toes and  flour.  To  this  gravy  add  the  chopped  meat. 
Have  the  mashed  potatoes  very  hot  and  serve  by  pour- 
ing the  meat  gravy  over  the  potatoes. 


VEGETABLES 

Potatoes. 

Why  is  potato  so  valuable  a  food  ? 

1.  It  is  easy  to  cultivate. 

2.  It  can  be  kept  through  the  winter. 

3.  It  is  easy  to  prepare  as  a  food. 

4.  Potatoes  give  us  the  needed  bulk  rather  than  any 
large  amount  of  nutritive  value.     Because  potatoes  lack 
protein  they  should  be  used  with  meat  or  fish  or  eggs  or  in 
combination  with  milk  and  cheese.     Potatoes  are  cheaper 
when  bought  by  the  quantity,  and  as  they  keep  well,  should 
not  be  purchased  in  small  amounts  unless  necessary. 

Potatoes  keep  best  in  cold  dry  cellars ;  in  barrels,  or  in 
bins.  When  the  sprouts  appear  on  potatoes  they  always 
should  be  removed,  as  these  sprouts  spoil  the  potato. 

How  to  Buy 

Select  potatoes  with  smooth  skins,  and  have  the  sizes 
as  even  as  possible. 

How  to  Boil  a  Potato 

It  is  better  to  boil  the  potato  with  the  skin  on  and  peel 
afterwards,  for  the  part  of  the  potato  just  under  the  skin 
contains  the  minerals,  which  are  very  valuable,  and  if  we 
peel  a  potato  before  boiling  it  we  lose  a  great  deal  of  this 
good  mineral  matter  with  the  peeling.  It  is  also  true  that 
when  you  peel  a  potato  and  then  put  it  into  water,  some 
of  this  good  tissue-building  value  is  soaked  out  in  the 
water. 

3i8 


RECEIPTS  319 

Wash  your  potato,  using  a  small  vegetable  brush  to 
scrub  it  with.  Take  out  any  black  spots  with  the  point  of 
a  knife.  Boil  with  the  skin  on,  peeling  off  a  narrow 
strip  in  order  to  prevent  the  potato  from  bursting.  Put 
the  potato  at  once  in  boiling  water.  Only  very  old  pota- 
toes are  improved -by  being  pared  and  soaked  in  cold 
water  before  boiling;  this  is  done  to  restore  the  moisture 
that  the  potato  has  lost  from  being  exposed  to  the  air 
and  from  thus  drying  for  so  long  a  time.  Potatoes  must 
be  boiled  until  soft  in  the  middle.  In  boiling  potatoes  let 
the  water  boil  gently.  When  the  water  boils  too  hard  the 
outside  of  the  potato  gets  very  soft  before  the  center  is 
done.  Do  not  let  a  boiled  potato  stand  in  the  boiling 
water  after  it  is  cooked,  because  it  will  absorb  the  water 
and  become  very  soggy. 

Baked  Potato 

When  you  bake  a  potato  it  is  the  water  in  the  potato 
that  gets  hot  and  softens  the  starch.  This  water  changes 
to  steam,  and  the  starchy  part  is  left  dried  and  mealy. 
If  you  allow  a  baked  potato  to  lie  in  the  warm  oven  after 
it  is  thoroughly  cooked,  the  steam  will  turn  back  to 
water  and  the  potato  gets  soggy.  For  baked  potatoes 
have  a  quick  oven,  for  if  your  oven  is  slow  the  potato  be- 
comes dry  and  hard. 

Browned  Potatoes 

Peel  the  potatoes  and  put  in  the  dish  with  meat  for 
roasting.  WThen  basting  the  meat,  pour  the  liquid  from 
the  pan  over  the  potatoes  at  the  same  time. 

Baked  Creamed  Potatoes 

Take  leftover  potatoes,  cut  in  squares  and  mix  with  a 
white  sauce ;  be  sure  that  potatoes  are  well  seasoned. 
Butter  a  baking  dish,  put  in  the  creamed  potatoes.  Cover 


320      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

the  whole  with  buttered  bread  crumbs  and  bake  until 
crumbs  are  brown.  Half  the  quantity  of  bread  crumbs 
and  half  grated  cheese  will  make  this  dish  more  nourish- 
ing and,  to  many  people,  more  appetizing. 

Mashed  Potatoes 

Put  hot  boiled  potatoes  through  a  sieve  or  ricer,  or 
mash  with  potato-masher.  For  six  medium-sized  pota- 
toes add  two  tbsp.  butter,  one  tsp.  salt,  few  grains  pepper, 
enough  milk  to  very  make  creamy.  Beat  well  to  make 
light.  Pile  on  hot  dish  and  serve.  Or  put  in  oven  and 
brown  on  top. 

Rice  Potatoes 

Force  hot  boiled  potatoes  through  a  potato-ricer  or 
coarse  strainer.  Serve,  lightly  piled  on  hot  vegetable- 
dish. 

Creamed  Potatoes  with  Cheese  for  Six 

4  cups  cold  boiled  potatoes  (diced) 
i  pt.  white  sauce 

j/2  lb.  store  cheese  (cut  in  small  pieces) 
Reheat   diced   potatoes   in  white   sauce   to   which   the 
cheese  has  been  added. 

Fried  Potatoes 

Cut  cold  boiled  potatoes  in  cubes  or  slices.  Melt  in 
frying-pan  three  tbsp.  butter  for  each' cup  cold  diced  po- 
tato. Put  in  potatoes.  Fry  until  well  browned. 

Another  Creamed  Potatoes  with  Cheese 

4  cups  cold  boiled  potatoes  cut  in  small  squares  or 
chopped 

y±  lb.  store  cheese  cut  in  small  pieces 

i  pt.  white  sauce 

Heat  the  potatoes  in  the  white  sauce.  Add  the  cheese 
and  cook  all  together  until  cheese  is  well  melted. 


RECEIPTS  321 

Potato  Pancake 

Take  seven  or  eight  good-sized  potatoes,  pare  and  grate 
raw.  Drain  through  a  cheesecloth  to  remove  the  brown 
water  that  gathers  on  them.  Then  turn  the  grated  potato 
into  a  dish  and  pour  over  them  a  pint  of  boiling  hot  milk 
(this  whitens  the  potato  again).  Salt  to  taste,  add  two 
beaten  eggs,  mold  and  fry  in  hot  lard  until  a  nice  brown. 

Do  not  squeeze  the  potato  through  the  cloth.  Only  the 
brown  water  should  run  through. 

Time  Table  for  Cooking  Vegetables 

Time  for  Cooking 

Lima  beans  i  to  \}/\  hours 

String  beans I  to  3  hours 

Beets,  young 45  minutes 

Beets,  old   3  to  4  hours 

Cabbage   35  to  60  minutes 

Cauliflower    20  to  25  minutes 

Celery    Used  raw 

Corn     20  minutes 

Lettuce     Used  raw 

Onions   45  to  60  minutes 

Spinach    25  to  30  minutes 

Tomatoes     Cooked  or  raw 

Peas    20  to  60  minutes 

To    Cook    String    Beans 

Wash  the  beans  in  cold  water,  string,  cut  into  one- 
inch  lengths.  Put  beans  in  fresh  boiling  water,  and 
add  salt  the  last  half-hour  of  boiling. 

The  time  for  cooking  any  vegetable  varies,  some  vege- 
tables being  fresher  and  younger  than  others.  These 
take  less  time  than  the  older  vegetables.  So  each  girl 
must  test  her  beans  to  see  when  they  are  soft  enough  to 


322      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

eat.  The  cooking  will  take  from  one  to  three  hours. 
When  soft,  drain  and  season  with  butter  and  salt.  These 
beans  do  not  contain  a  great  deal  of  nutritive  value,  and 
should  be  eaten  with  meat. 

To  Cook,  Peas 

Peas  contain  a  great  deal  of  nourishment,  and  when 
young  are  easy  to  digest. 

Take  peas  from  pods,  cover  them  with  cold  water 
and  let  them  stand  one-half  hour.  Skim  off  peas  that 
rise  to  the  top  of  the  water  and  throw  these  away ; 
drain  the  others  free  from  all  water. 

Cook  as  you  do  the  beans  in  fresh  boiling  salted  water. 
Cook  from  twenty  minutes  to  one  hour.  Season  with 
butter,  salt,  and  pepper.  While  these  two  vegetables  are 
cooking  talk  with  your  teacher  about  the  other  vege- 
tables. 

As  peas  and  beans  have  so  much  nutritive  value,  you 
can  serve  them  as  the  main  dish  for  a  meal.  It  is  a  good 
thing,  if  there  is  time,  to  set  the  table  and  serve  one  of 
these  vegetables  with  bread  and  butter,  and  a  pitcher  of 
cold  milk.  This  is  a  good  enough  meal  for  any  one  on  a 
summer's  night. 

Stewed  Celery 

Cut  off  roots  and  leaves.  Separate  stalks,  wash,  scrape 
and  cut  into  one  inch  pieces.  Boil  in  salted  water  one- 
half  hour  or  more.  Strain.  Mix  this  celery  with  a  sauce 
made  of  one-half  celery  water  and  one-half  milk.  Season 
with  salt  to  taste. 

Young  Beets 

These  roots  contain  much  sugar  and  are  not,  when 
fresh  and  young,  indigestible  for  a  child  over  five  years 


RECEIPTS  323 

of  age.  Wash  the  root  without  bruising  it.  Cut  off 
the  top  at  least  one  inch  from  the  beet.  Cook  in  boiling 
water  from  one  to  two  hours.  Salt,  drain  and  put  into 
cold  water.  Then  remove  skins  and  chop  fine. 

Carrots 

Wash  and  scrape  carrots.  Boil  in  salted  water  until 
soft  enough  to  press  through  a  sieve.  The  length  of  time 
of  boiling  depends  upon  whether  the  carrot  is  young  or 
old. 

Squash 

Squash  should  be  young,  tender  and  thin  skinned. 

Wash  squash  and  cut  it  in  thick  slices.  Cook  one-half 
hour  (or  until  very  soft)  in  boiling  salted  water.  When 
done  turn  into  a  piece  of  cheesecloth,  or  a  fine  sieve  and 
drain  out  all  the  water.  Now  mash,  and  strain  again 
through  the  sieve.  Season  with  a  little  butter,  salt  and 
(for  children)  very  little,  if  any,  pepper. 

Baked  Beans 

One  quart  pea  beans.  Cover  with  cold  water  and  soak 
over  night.  In  the  morning  drain,  cover  with  fresh  water 
and  boil  on  top  of  the  stove  at  least  two  hours.  Put  beans 
in  bean  pot  with  a  small  piece  of  fat  salt  pork.  Mix  one 
teaspoon  of  salt,  four  tablespoons  of  molasses.  Pour 
enough  of  the  bean  water  over  the  beans  to  moisten  them. 
Cover  the  bean  pot,  put  in  oven,  and  bake  for  about  one 
hour. 

If  beans  are  baked  over  night  it  is  not  necessary  to  boil 
them  first,  cover  with  boiling  water  before  baking. 

Baked  Corn 
i  can  corn  13/2  tbsp.  butter 


324      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

2  eggs  i  pt.  scalded  milk 

i  tsp.  salt  y&  tsp.  pepper 

Drain  water  from  corn.  Add  to  corn  the  eggs  slightly 
beaten.  Add  salt,  pepper,  melted  butter  and  scalded 
milk.  Stir  thoroughly  and  turn  into  a  buttered  baking 
dish.  Bake  in  a  slow  oven. 

Macaroni 

Macaroni  (or  spaghetti)  is  a  very  nourishing  food. 
It  is  formed  chiefly  of  gluten,  which  is  the  more  valuable 
part  of  wheat.  It  is  more  digestible  than  meat,  and  has 
some  of  the  same  tissue  building  quality. 

To  prepare  macaroni,  have  the  water  boiling  and 
salted  in  the  saucepan  before  adding  the  sticks  of  maca- 
roni. Drop  these  sticks  in  one  by  one  so  as  not  to  stop 
the  water  from  boiling.  Boil  for  twenty  minutes,  drain 
off  the  water,  pour  over  it  cold  water,  put  the  macaroni 
back  in  the  saucepan,  adding  a  cream  or  white  sauce,  and 
allow  it  to  simmer  at  the  back  of  the  stove  for  a  few 
minutes. 

Baked  Macaroni  with  Cheese 

(For  eight  persons) 

Put  a  layer  of  boiled  macaroni  in  a  buttered  baking 
dish.  Sprinkle  with  grated  cheese  and  white  sauce. 
Repeat  until  all  the  macaroni  is  used.  Cover  the  whole 
with  butter,  a  few  bread  crumbs  and  a  last  layer  of 
cheese ;  bake  until  the  crumbs  are  brown. 

VEGETABLES   ESPECIALLY   FOR  CHILDREN 

Many  of  the  following  receipts  give  the  preparation  of 
vegetables  for  children.  In  cooking,  for  adults  it  is  not 
necessary  to  put  the  cooked  vegetable  through  a  sieve. 

Vegetables  good  for  little  children  are :  asparagus  tips, 


RECEIPTS  325 

string  beans,  stewed  celery,  young  beets,  carrots,  squash, 
potatoes. 

White  Potatoes 

These  should  be  baked,  boiled  or  mashed,  never  fried  for 
children.  They  may  be  served  with  beef  juice  or  milk. 

Peas 

Cook  peas,  if  possible,  the  day  they  are  picked.  Boil 
for  at  least  thirty  minutes  in  a  granite  saucepan.  Salt 
before  taking  from  the  fire.  Press  through  a  sieve  before 
giving  these  peas  to  a  young  child. 

Spinach 

Carefully  pick  over,  take  out  wilted  leaves,  wash  in 
four  or  five  waters,  or  until  there  is  not  a  trace  of  sand 
on  the  bottom  of  the  pan  in  which  the  spinach  is  washed. 
If  at  all  wilted  let  it  stand  in  cold  water  until  fresh. 
Cook  in  boiling  salted  water  for  ten  minutes.  Let  it 
boil  with  cover  partly  off  to  let  steam  escape.  At  the  end 
of  ten  minutes  drain  off  hot  water  and  pour  cold  water 
over  and  at  once  let  it  drain  well.  When  spinach  is 
young  and  tender,  it  will  boil  in  its  own  moisture  and  no 
water  needs  to  be  added.  Chop  and  mix  with  butter, 
and  salt.  Allow  two  tbsps.  to  half  peck  of  spinach. 

Asparagus  Tips 

Use  only  the  soft  part  that  will  snap  off.  Wash,  re- 
move scales  and  boil  in  salted  water  for  one-half  hour. 
Strain  and  press  through  a  sieve,  or  serve  whole. 


SAUCES 
Horseradish  Sauce 

y2  cup  horseradish  y2  cup  cream 

YZ  cup  cracker  dust  i  tsp.  mustard 

I  tsp.  salt  l/4  cup  vinegar 

Pepper  2  tsp.  powdered  sugar 

Mix  salt,  pepper,  cracker  dust  and  horseradish.  Make 
paste  of  mustard  and  cream  and  add  it,  with  rest  of 
cream,  to  mixture.  Add  full  amount  of  vinegar  if  horse- 
radish is  fresh,  and  heat  the  whole  over  boiling  water. 
Serve  hot. 

German  Horseradish  Sauce 
Y*  cup  horseradish 
Vinegar  to  cover 
2  tsp.  sugar 
i  tsp.  salt 

i  sour  apple  grated 
Milk  all  thoroughly  and  serve  cold. 

Tomato  Sauce 

i  cup  tomato  i  onion 

Y-2  tsp.  salt  y2  green  pepper 

J/2  tsp.  sugar  A  little  parsley 

i  tbsp.  butter 

Fry  butter,  chopped  onion  and  green  pepper  together. 
Cook  tomato  until  quite  thick  (at  least  one-half  hour), 
Add  this  tomato  to  butter  and  onion.  Chop  parsley  and 
add  to  tomato  mixture.  Cook  all  together  for  a  few 
minutes  with  salt  and  pepper  and  sugar.  Serve  hot. 

326 


RECEIPTS  327 

White  Sauce 

(For  six  persons) 
2j^  tbsp.  butter  y*  tsp.  salt 

3  tbsp.  flour  Pepper 

i  pt.  milk 

Melt  butter  in  upper  part  of  double  boiler  or  saucepan. 
Add  flour  and  salt  and  stir  to  a  smooth  paste.  Remove 
from  fire.  Stir  in  milk.  Put  back  on  fire,  or  over  hot  water 
if  made  in  double  boiler,  and  cook  until  sauce  thickens. 

Cream  Sauce  for  Oysters 

4  tbsp.  flour 

Piece  of  butter  the  size  of  2  eggs 

Cut  up  i  cup  celery  and  boil  it.     Press  through  a  sieve. 

Scald  i  qt.  milk. 

Cream  together  flour  and  butter,  add  this  to  scalded 
milk.  Add  celery  and  cook  about  fifteen  minutes.  Cook 
oysters  in  their  own  liquor  a  few  minutes  and  then  add 
oysters  to  cream  sauce  with  a  part  of  the  oyster  liquor. 
Serve  on  toast. 

Onion  Sauce 

2  tbsp.  drippings,  before  melting      3  onions 

3  tbsp.  flour  Salt  and  pepper 
Melt  drippings,  add  flour.     Let  this  brown  in  the  frying 

pan.  Add  enough  water  to  make  a  creamy  sauce.  Let  this 
cook  for  ten  minutes.  Cut  onions  in  rings  and  fry  in  the 
sauce  until  a  golden  brown.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper. 

Mint  Sauce 

Y^  cup  chopped  mint  i  tablespoon  sugar 

l/2  cup  vinegar 

Let  mint  stand  in  sugar  and  vinegar  for  half  an  hour 
on  back  of  stove.  Be  sure  that  mint  is  washed  well  before 
chopping. 


SALADS 

Boiled  .Dressing 

2  tbsp.  sugar  i  egg  (not  absolutely  nec- 

y-2.  cup  milk  essary) 

y2  cup  vinegar  2  tbsp.  flour 

I  tbsp.  butter  I  tsp.  salt 

y±  tsp.  pepper  i  tsp.  mustard 

Mix  dry  ingredients  and  stir  to  a  smooth  paste  with  the 
milk.  Beat  this  well,  add  the  vinegar  and  blend  together 
thoroughly.  The  last  thing  add  the  butter  and  the  beaten 
egg  (if  egg  is  used).  Cook  until  the  mixture  thickens. 

Mayonnaise  Dressing 

Yolk  i  egg  il/2    tsp.    lemon    juice    or 

l/2  tsp.  salt  vinegar 

About  i  cup  salad  oil  A  little  pepper 

Be  sure  that  the  oil  and  egg  are  cold  before  beginning 
the  dressing.  Also,  the  dish  in  which  the  dressing  is 
made  must  be  cold.  In  summer  it  is  often  necessary  to 
chill  the  plate  with  ice. 

Have  yolk  of  egg  free  from  all  white.  Add  oil  to  yolk 
very  slowly,  at  first  drop  by  drop.  After  the  egg  begins 
to  thicken  the  oil  can  be  added  a  little  faster.  Add  oil 
until  egg  will  hold  no  more  and  the  dressing  is  too 
thick  to  pour,  now  add  seasoning  and  vinegar  and  a  little 
mustard. 

The  difficult  part  of  mayonnaise  dressing  is  to  keep  it 
from  curdling.  The  cold  egg,  cold  oil  and  cold  dish 
should  prevent  this,  if  oil  is  added  drop  by  drop  at  first. 
If  the  dressing  does  curdle,  a  tiny  piece  of  ice  added 
sometimes  brings  it  back. 

328 


RECEIPTS  329 

Do  not  throw  away  the  egg  if  it  does  curdle,  but  add 
the  curdled  mayonnaise  slowly  to  a  fresh  yolk. 

French  Dressing  for  Salad 

5/2  tsp.  salt  i  tbsp.  vinegar 

54  tsp.  pepper  6  tbsp.  oil 

y2  tsp.  mustard  Onion 

Mix  salt,  pepper  and  mustard  together  (a  little  onion 
juice  adds  much  to  the  flavor).  Pour  oil  slowly  on  mus- 
tard and  salt  mixture,  stirring  thoroughly.  Add  vine- 
gar the  last  thing.  No  good  cook  will  depend  absolutely 
on  a  written  receipt  for  French  dressing,  but  will  depend 
upon  her  own  taste  as  to  whether  there  is  salt  or  pepper 
enough,  or  whether  she  should  add  a  little  more  oil  or  a 
little  more  vinegar. 

When  greens  are  used  for  salad  they  should  first  be 
washed  and  then  allowed  to  stand  in  very  cold  water 
until  thoroughly  crisp.  Take  greens  from  cold  water; 
wrap  in  clean  dry  towel  or  white  cotton  bag  kept  for  the 
purpose.  Put  in  cold  place  until  ready  to  use. 

Potato  Salad 

6  good-sized  cold  potatoes 

i  onion 

A  little  parsley 

At  least,  i  cup  French  dressing  as  potatoes  absorb  a 
great  deal. 

It  is  better  to  boil  the  potatoes  with  skins  on  and  re- 
move them  after  potato  is  cold. 

Cut  potatoes  into  small  thin  pieces.  Chop  parsley  and 
onion,  and  mix  all  with  French  dressing.  Serve  on  let- 
tuce leaves. 

Remember  you  never  can  trust  entirely  to  a  receipt; 
taste  before  serving  to  be  sure  the  seasoning  is  perfect. 


330      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Potatoes  can  be  mixed  with  boiled  dressing  instead 
of  French  dressing. 

Water  Cress  and  Apples 

Have  water  cress  cold,  crisp  and  dry,  as  with  lettuce. 
Slice  apples  thin.  Serve  with  French  dressing. 

Celery  used  for  a  salad  should  be  washed,  scraped  and 
cut  into  pieces  one-half  inch  long. 

Cucumber  and  Tomato  Salad 

Slice  cucumbers  and  tomatoes,  and  so  arrange  them  as 
to  look  well  on  lettuce. 

Salad  with  Hard-Boiled  Eggs 

Boil  eggs,  slice  and  serve  on  lettuce,  or  stuff  egg  as  in 
picnic  receipt,  serve  in  halves  on  lettuce  with  French 
dressing  or  mayonnaise. 

Celery  and  Walnut  Salad 

Use  one-third  as  much  chopped  walnuts  as  chopped 
or  cut  up  celery.  To  prepare  celery,  wash  it,  scrape  it 
and  cut  it  in  even  pieces.  Cover  it  with  very  cold  water 
until  ready  to  use.  Mix  well  the  celery  and  nuts  with 
mayonnaise.  Serve  one  spoonful  of  the  mixture  on  each 
lettuce  leaf. 

Fruit  Salads 

Such  fruits  as  orange,  grape  fruit  and  grapes  make 
a  delicious  salad,  and  can  be  used  in  place  of  dessert. 

Be  sure  there  are  no  seeds  left  in  the  fruit. 

Cut  the  orange  in  thin  slices. 

Separate  grape  fruit  from  skin.  This  can  be  done 
by  cutting  grape  fruit  in  half  and  cutting  good  part  away 
from  bitter  skin  with  sharp  knife. 

Cut  grapes  in  halves  and  remove' seeds. 


RECEIPTS  331 

Fruit  salads  are  served  with  boiled  or  French  dressing. 
Cold  meats  and  cold  fish  make  good  salads. 
The  meat  must  be  free  from  all  skin  and  gristle,  and 
the  fish  free  from  bones  and  flaked. 

Serve  meats  and  fish  with  mayonnaise  dressing. 

Vegetable  Salads 

Salads  such  as  lettuce,  water  cress,  cucumber,  tomato, 
contain  very  little  nourishment,  but  they  help  the  appe- 
tite and  are  valuable  for  the  water  and  salts  they  contain. 
The  olive  oil  used  in  the  dressing  contains  much  nourish- 
ment and  is  a  valuable  fat  for  the  system. 

Nearly  all  vegetables  can  be  served  as  salad.  They 
must  be  fresh  and  they  must  be  cold.  If  there  is  any 
green,  the  leaves  must  be  crisp  and  dry. 

In  serving  lettuce,  be  sure  no  water  is  on  the  leaves 
when  French  dressing  is  added,  for  the  water  will  spoil 
the  dressing  and  the  oil  will  not  adhere  to  the  lettuce. 

Never  put  dressing  on  lettuce  until  the  moment  of 
serving. 

Beets,  peas,  beans,  cauliflower,  lima  beans,  all  make 
delicious  salads. 

If  fresh  vegetables  are  used : 

Boil  vegetables  in  salted  water.  Drain  and  allow  to 
get  very  cold.  Then  mix  with  French  or  boiled  dressing, 
and  serve  on  lettuce  leaves. 

If  left  over  vegetables  are  used,  be  sure  they  are  cold 
and  arranged  in  an  attractive  way. 

Beets  should  be  cut  in  even  cubes. 

String  beans  in  tiny  lengthwise  strips. 

Cauliflower  into  small  flowers. 

Where  several  vegetables  are  used  in  the  same  salad, 
each  should  be  separately  mixed  with  dressing  before  put- 
ting into  dish. 


CHEESE 

A  pound  of  cheese  has  astnuch  food  value  as  a  gallon 
of  milk.  It  contains  all  the  protein  and  fat  of  the  milk 
with  the  water  taken  out.  Therefore,  it  is  very  neces- 
sary for  each  housekeeper  to  know  as  many  ways  as  pos- 
sible for  using  cheese. 

Cheese  Crackers 

Spread  grated  cheese  on  Uneeda  biscuit,  or  on  any 
plain  cracker,  and  sprinkle  with  a  few  grains  of  cayenne 
pepper.  Put  these  cheese  crackers  in  a  baking  tin  and 
brown  in  the  oven.  These  are  very  good  served  with 
salad,  or  with  afternoon  tea. 

Cheese  Fondu 

I  tbsp.  butter  i  cup  grated  cheese 

I  cup  milk  2  eggs,  well  beaten 

I  cup  bread  crumbs  ^4  tsp.  mustard 

l/4  tsp.  salt 

Melt  the  butter  and  add  milk,  bread  crumbs,  cheese, 
salt  and  mustard.  Cook  over  hot  water  until  the  cheese 
melts.  Then  add  the  eggs  and  cook  for  two  or  three 
minutes  longer.  Pour  into  a  greased  baking  dish  and 
bake  about  twenty  minutes  in  a  moderate  oven.  This 
must  be  served  at  once. 

Cottage  Cheese 

Put  thick  sour  milk  into  a  pan  on  the  back  of  the  stove 
until  the  curd  has  separated  from  the  whey.  Then  pour 

332 


RECEIPTS  333 

into  a  piece  of  cheesecloth  and  drain  the  whey  from  the 
curd.  Season  the  curd  which  remains  with  salt  and 
pepper.  If  desired,  a  little  cream  can  be  added. 

Cheese  Sticks 

i  cup  flour  I  tbsp.  melted  butter 

y2  cup  grated  cheese  I  tsp.  baking  powder 

A  little  salt  and  enough  milk  to  make  stiff  dough. 
Mix  all  together  and  roll  out,  then  cut  in  strips.     Bake 
on  brown  paper  until  a  light  brown. 


MUFFINS,  BREADS,  ETC. 

Johnny  Cake 

I  this,  butter  I  cup  cornmeal 

i  egg  i  cup  flour 

i  cup  milk  3  tsps.  baking  powder 

i  pinch  of  salt 

Cream  one  tablespoon  butter  with  one  of  sugar.  Add 
one  beaten  egg,  one  cup  of  milk  a  pinch  of  salt,  one 
cup  flour  and  three  teaspoons  baking  powder.  Now  add 
one  cup  cornmeal.  Mix  all  thoroughly  together  and  fill 
muffin  tins  with  this  mixture.  Bake  in  a  moderate  oven 
twenty  minutes. 

One  Egg  Muffins 

(For  eight  persons) 

2  cups  flour  I  tbsp.   melted   fat  or  but- 

i%  cups  milk  ter 

1  egg  3  tsp.  baking  powder 

i  tsp.  salt 

Mix  and  sift  dry  ingredients.  Add  milk  and  beaten 
egg.  Beat  thoroughly.  Add  melted  butter  or  fat  the  last 
thing.  Bake  about  twenty  minutes  in  buttered  gem  pans. 

No  Egg  Muffins 

(For  eight  persons) 

2  cups  flour  i  tbsp.  butter 

i  cup  milk  3  tsp.  baking  powder 

Y-2  tsp.  salt 

Mix  and  sift  dry  ingredients.     Stir  in  milk  and  beat 

334 


RECEIPTS  335 

well.     Add  melted  butter  last.     Bake  about  twenty  min- 
utes in  buttered  gem  pans. 

Oatmeal  Muffins 

%  cup  rolled  oats  i  cup  scalded  milk 

Mix  these  together  and  allow  to  stand  until  cold.     Add 

3  tbsp.  sugar  il/2  cups  flour 
2  tbsp.  melted  butter              I  egg 

4  tsp.  baking  powder  y2  tsp.  salt 

Mix  well  and  bake  twenty  or  twenty-five  minutes. 

Corn  Bread 

2  eggs  2  cups  wheat  flour 

2  tbsp.  sugar  (heaping)         2  tsps.     baking     powder 
2  tbsp.  butter  (heaping)  (heaping) 

1  cup  Indian  meal  2  cups  sweet  milk 

Beat  the  eggs  well.  Add  sugar  to  eggs.  Sift  three 
times  salt,  baking  powder,  flour  and  Indian  meal.  Add 
the  dry  ingredients  and  milk  to  the  egg,  putting  in  first  a 
little  of  one  and  then  a  little  of  the  other.  The  last 
thing,  add  the  butter  partly  melted.  Beat  hard,  and 
bake  in  flat  baking  pan,  having  the  batter  not  more  than 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  thick  in  pan. 

It  may  be  necessary  to  use  a  little  less  or  a  little  more 
milk.  This  can  be  ascertained  by  trying  the  receipt  once 
or  twice.  The  mixture  should  be  very  thin.  Bake  in 
hot  oven  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  minutes. 

Baking  Powder  Biscuits 

(For  twelve  persons) 

2  cups  flour  i  tsp.  salt 
94  cup  milk   and  water  in  i  tbsp.  lard 

equal  parts  i  tbsp.  butter 

4  tsp.  baking  powder 


336      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Mix  dry  ingredients  and  sift  twice.  Cut  in  butter  and 
lard.  Add  liquid,  mixing  with  a  knife.  Toss  on  a 
floured  board,  pat  and  roll.  Cut  with  biscuit  cutter. 
Bake  in  hot,  buttered  pans  fifteen  minutes. 

Short  Cake 

(For  twelve  persons) 

2  cups  flour  i  tbsp.  lard 

94  cup  milk  i  tbsp.  butter 

4    tsp.  baking  powder  i  tsp.  salt 

Mix  dry  ingredients  and  sift  twice.  Cut  in  butter  and 
lard  with  a  knife.  Gradually  add  the  liquid.  Roll  to  a 
thickness  of  one-half  inch. 

When  short  cake  is  cooked,  take  from  oven  and  slit 
open.  Fill  with  any  fresh  fruit;  strawberries  are  the 
best.  Mash  these  slightly,  keeping  out  a  few  of  the  best 
to  put  on  the  top  of  the  cake.  Place  the  crushed  fruit 
between  the  upper  and  lower  crust. 

Peaches  cut  up  and  sugared  are  also  a  good  fruit  to 
use. 

Dried  Bread 

Cut  the  bread  into  thin  slices.  Place  in  the  oven  with 
the  door  open.  Dry  until  crisp,  but  do  not  burn. 

Buckwheat  Griddle  Cakes  (prepared  flour) 
For  all  griddle  cakes,  a  soap  stone  griddle  is  the  best, 
i  cup  buckwheat  flour  2  tsp.  baking  powder 

%  tsp.  salt  24  cup  cold  water 

i  tbsp.  sugar  £4  cup  milk 

Sift  dry  ingredients.  Add  water  and  mix  thoroughly. 
Drop  on  hot  griddle  and  turn  with  pancake  turner  when 
brown  on  one  side. 

Buckwheat  Cakes  (ordinary  not  prepared  flour) 

3  cups  buckwheat  flour 


RECEIPTS  337 

I  cup  Indian  meal 

i  cup  bread  crumbs,  soaked  in  cold  water 

]/2  cake  of  yeast  with  water  enough  to  make  a 
sponge. 

Salt. 

Put  this  compound  in  a  stone  jar,  warming  the  jar  first. 
Then  put  in  a  warm  place  for  six  or  seven  hours.  When 
ready  to  make  cakes,  add  one  teaspoon  of  soda,  one  table- 
spoon molasses  and  melted  butter  the  size  of  an  egg. 
Make  the  batter  as  thin  with  water  as  is  possible  and  still 
turn  the  cake.  Have  the  griddle  very  hot  (a  soap  stone 
griddle  is  the  best).  One  minute  will  brown  the  cakes. 
Serve  at  once. 

If  the  batter  has  fomented,  sometimes  more  soda  is 
needed. 

Corn  Meal  Griddle  Cakes 
2  cups  milk  i  tsp.  salt 

J/2  cup  corn  meal  3  tsp.  baking  powder 

Enough  flour  to  make  a  smooth  batter,  but  thin.  Stir 
all  together  and  bake  on  hot,  well-buttered  griddle  or  large 
frying  pan.  If  sour  milk  is  used,  use  one-half  teaspoon 
soda  dissolved  in  one-fourth  cup  hot  water  and  two  tea- 
spoons baking  powder  instead  of  three  teaspoons  baking 
powder. 

Sour  Milk  Griddle  Cakes 

2^/2  cups  flour  2  cups  sour  milk 

y2  tsp.  salt  i  egg 

2  tsp.  soda 

Mix  and  sift  dry  ingredients.  Add  sour  milk  and 
beaten  egg.  Have  griddle  very  hot  and  greased.  Turn 
when  brown  and  cook  on  other  side.  Serve  hot  with 
syrup  or  molasses. 


338      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Brown  Bread 

2^2  cups  corn  meal  I  cup  molasses 

2,y2  cups  rye  meal  3  cups  very  nice  sour  milk 

Rye  meal  is  purchasable  4  even     teaspoons     baking 
only  in  certain  stores  soda 

A  little  salt 

Mix  all  together.  Beat  and  beat  very  hard.  In  mix- 
ing begin  with  the  milk,  and  gradually  add  other  ingre- 
dients to  this.  Steam  three  hours,  and  then  bake  in  oven 
one-half  hour. 

Oatmeal  Muffins 

For  these  muffins  use  cooked  oatmeal. 
ij<2  cups  cooked  oatmeal      y2  cup  milk 

1  cup  flour  2  tsp.  melted  butter 

2  tbsp.  sugar  J/£  tsp.  salt 

4  tsp.  baking  powder 

Mix  and  sift  dry  ingredients  (flour,  sugar,  baking  pow- 
der, salt).  Add  to  this  one-half  of  the  milk  and  whole 
egg  well  beaten.  The  remainder  of  the  milk  should  be 
mixed  with  the  oatmeal  and  beaten  thoroughly.  Now 
add  dry  ingredient  mixture  to  oatmeal  mixture,  adding  to 
the  whole  the  melted  butter.  Bake  in  buttered  muffin 
pans  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes. 

Bread  Omelet 

T/2  cup  soft  bread  crumbs     2  eggs 

4  tbsp.  milk  %.  tsp.  salt 

I  tsp.  butter  Pepper 

Soak  the  bread  crumbs  in  the  milk  until  the  milk  has 
been  absorbed,  and  then  add  salt  and  pepper.  Separate 
the  yolk  from  the  white  of  egg.  Beat  the  white  stiff. 
Add  beaten  yolk  to  the  bread  crumbs.  Fold  in  the  white 
and  proceed  as  in  a  plain  omelet. 


RECEIPTS  339 

Mushrooms  and  Bread  Omelet 

5  mushrooms  I  cup  bread  crumbs 

2  tbsp.  butter  I  tbsp.  cheese 

2  eggs  Leaf  of  marjoram 

Peel  mushrooms,  cut  into  rather  small  pieces  and  put 
in  a  frying  pan  with  butter  and  salt.  Fry  lightly  until 
the  mushrooms  are  brown.  In  the  meantime  beat  up 
separately  yolks  and  whites  of  eggs,  add  to  the  eggs  the 
bread  crumbs  which  have  been  soaked  in  water,  add  also 
the  cheese  grated  and  two  leaves  of  marjoram.  Go  on 
beating  until  the  bread  has  become  absorbed  by  the  eggs. 
Pour  this  mixture  into  the  frying  pan  with  the  mush- 
rooms, mix  all  together  and  make  omelet  in  usual  way. 

Zwieback 

Zwieback  or  rusks.  Cut  bread  into  slices  and  dry  in  a 
slow  oven  until  the  bread  is  of  a  deep  yellow  color. 


TOASTS 

Dry  Toast 

Bread  is  best  for  toast  when  one  or  two  days  old. 
Cut  bread  in  one-fourth-inch  slices  and  place  on  a  broiler 
or  hold  on  a  long  fork  over  clear  red  coals  until  done 
golden  brown.  When  brown  on  one  side,  turn  and  brown 
on  the  other  side.  Toast  should  be  served  as  soon  as 
made. 

White  Sauce  for  Toast  for  Six 

2.y2  tbsp.  butter  J^  tsp.  salt 

3  tbsp.  flour  I  pt.  milk 

Melt  butter  in  upper  part  of  double  boiler  or  sauce- 
pan. Add  flour  and  salt,  and  stir  to  a  smooth  paste. 
Remove  from  fire,  stir  in  milk.  Put  back  on  fire,  over 
hot  water,  and  cook  until  it  thickens.  Pour  over  toast. 

If  cream  is  used,  do  not  use  flour  or  butter.  Heat 
cream  and  season  with  salt  and  paprika. 

Cream-Toast  with  Cheese 

Make  toast 

Make  white  sauce  as  in  last  receipt. 

To  white  sauce  add  three  or  four  tablespoons  of  grated 
cheese  just  before  taking  from  fire.  When  cheese  is 
melted  pour  sauce  over  toast. 


340 


SANDWICHES 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  kinds  of  sandwiches 
that  can  be  made. 

Cheese  Sandwiches 

Mash  very  smooth  two  tablespoon fuls  of  cream  cheese. 
Add  one  tablespoonful  of  melted  butter  and  one  table- 
spoonful  of  chopped  parsley.  Spread  bread  with  cheese 
paste,  being  careful  that  none  squeezes  out  between  the 
slices  of  bread.  In  this  case  it  is  not  necessary  to  butter 
the  bread  before  spreading,  as  there  is  butter  with  the 
cheese. 

Cheese  and  Nut  Sandwiches 

Chop  any  nuts  fine,  and  mix  the  nuts  with  cheese  which 
has  been  mashed  smooth.  The  amount  of  nuts  depends 
upon  the  taste  of  the  maker.  Spread  between  bread  as  in 
cheese  sandwiches. 

Egg  Sandwiches 

Boil  eggs  hard.  The  number  of  eggs  must  be  deter- 
mined by  the  number  of  sandwiches  you  wish  to  make. 
Separate  whites  from  yolks  and  chop  whites  fine.  Mash 
the  yolks  and  season  with  pepper  and  salt.  Or  make  a 
French  salad  dressing  and  mix  it  with  the  yolks.  Stir  in 
the  whites  and  spread  on  buttered  bread. 

Cheese  and  Olive  Sandwiches 

Make  cheese  sandwiches  as  in  cheese  sandwich  receipt. 
Chop  olives  fine  and  sprinkle  on  top  of  spread  bread. 

34i 


342      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Lettuce  Sandwich 

Make  French  dressing.  Dip  lettuce  leaves  in  the  dress- 
ing and  lay  them  between  the  slices  of  bread.  Any  green 
salad  can  be  used  in  this  way  for  a  sandwich. 

Celery  Sandwich 

Make  mayonnaise  dressing  and  spread  the  bread  with 
it  instead  of  butter.  Wash,  scrape  and  chop  (or  cut  in 
very  small  pieces)  the  tender  part  of  celery.  Put  this  be- 
tween the  mayonnaise  spread  bread.  Nuts  chopped  in 
with  the  celery  add  to  the  food  value,  as  well  as  to  the 
taste. 

Meat  Sandwiches 

Any  cold  leftover  meat  can  be  used.  Chop  this  meat 
and  mix  it  with  mayonnaise  dressing  and  spread  between 
slices  of  bread. 

or 

Spread  bread  with  butter  and  use  sliced  meat  simply 
seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper.  A  little  chopped  celery 
added  to  the  meat  gives  a  good  flavor. 

or 

Cold  meat  can  be  cut  in  thin  slices  and  placed  between 
slices  of  buttered  bread.  Sprinkle  a  little  salt  over  the 
meat. 

Fish  Sandwiches 

Any  cold,  cooked  fish  may  be  used.  Take  from  the 
cooked  fish  all  bones  and  skin.  Mash  fish  to  a  paste,  sea- 
son with  salt  and  pepper  and  a  little  lemon  juice.  Spread 
this  paste  between  slices  of  buttered  bread. 

Raw  Beef  Sandwiches 
Raw  meat  is  more  easily  digested  than  cooked  meat,  and 


RECEIPTS  343 

for  this  reason  is  given  to  persons  who  need  the  nourish- 
ment but  cannot  digest  the  cooked  meat. 

Buy  beef  from  the  round,  scrape  with  grain  of  meat  and 
with  a  silver  spoon  or  knife ;  spread  between  thin  slices  of 
bread.  Sprinkle  with  salt  and  pepper.  These  sand- 
wiches can  be  eaten  cold,  or  put  on  a  toaster  and  heated 
through. 

Water  Cress  Sandwiches 

Wash  first,  and  then  chop  one  bunch  of  water  cress. 
Mix  this  water  cress  with  a  French  dressing.  Cut  the 
bread  in  thin  slices  and  butter.  Between  two  slices  of 
this  buttered  bread  spread  the  water  cress.  These  sand- 
wiches are  better  served  cold. 


DESSERTS 
Indian  Meal  Pudding 

Three  tablespoons  of  meal  in  one  pint  of  boiling  milk. 
Let  it  boil  a  few  minutes.  Add  one  pint  of  cold  milk, 
two  beaten  eggs,  four  tablespoons  molasses,  one  tablespoon 
butter,  one-half  teaspoon  salt  and  one-half  teaspoon 
ginger.  Butter  dish,  and  bake  slowly  three  hours. 

or 

Indian  Pudding 

1  qt.  scalded  milk  %  cup  molasses 
8  tbsp.  corn  meal  I  tsp.  salt 

I  tsp.  ginger 

Pour  milk  slowly  on  meal.  Cook  in  double  boiler 
fifteen  minutes.  Add  molasses,  salt  and  ginger.  Pour 
into  buttered  baking-dish.  Bake  two  hours  in  slow 
oven. 

Bread  and  Butter  Apple  Pudding 

Put  in  bottom  of  a  baking  dish  some  apple  sauce. 
Cut  stale  bread  in  slices  and  cut  in  small  squares.  Spread 
with  softened  butter  and  brown  slightly  in  the  oven.  Ar- 
range closely  together  over  the  apple.  Sprinkle  gener- 
ously with  sugar,  to  which  add  a  few  drops  of  vanilla. 
Bake  in  a  moderate  oven  and  serve  with  hard  sauce  (or 
any  pudding  sauce  desired). 

Apple  Dumplings 

(For  six  persons) 

2  cups  flour  3  tbsp.  butter 

344 


RECEIPTS  345 

%  cup  milk  3^  tsp.  baking  powder 

6  apples  l/2  tsp.  salt 

Mix  dough  as  for  biscuits  (see  Baking  Powder  Bis- 
cuits). Roll  and  cut  large  enough  to  cover  an  apple. 
Pare  and  core  apple,  fill  center  with  sugar  and  squeeze  in 
a  little  lemon  juice.  Place  this  apple  in  the  middle  of 
dough  and  draw  piece  of  dough  up  over  each  apple,  press- 
ing the  edges  together  at  the  top.  Put  on  floured  tins 
and  bake  in  a  moderate  oven  until  apples  are  tender. 
Serve  with  hard  sauce  or  molasses  sauce,  or  melted  butter 
and  sugar.  (See  Pudding  Sauces.) 

Apple  Pudding 

Fill  a  buttered  pudding  dish  with  alternate  layers 
of  bread  crumbs  and  apple  sauce  which  has  been  sweet- 
ened with  brown  sugar  and  slightly  spiced.  A  table- 
spoonful  of  melted  butter  mixed  with  the  top  layer  of 
crumbs  will  give  a  crisp  crust.  Cover  with  a  plate  and 
bake  slowly  for  one-half  hour.  Remove  the  cover  for 
the  last  five  minutes  and  brown  on  top.  Raw  apples 
sliced  or  chopped  may  be  used,  but  in  that  case  the  pud- 
ding must  be  baked  for  an  hour  or  until  the  apples  are 
tender.  Serve  hot  with  sauce. 

Spiced  Pudding 

Soak  one  packed  cup  of  the  browned  crusts  of  bread 
in  one  pint  of  scalded  milk  until  soft.  Then  add  one- 
half  cup  of  molasses,  one  tablespoon  salt,  one-fourth 
teaspoon  of  spices,  one-half  cup  of  raisins.  Stir  oc- 
casionally at  first,  and  bake  in  a  very  moderate  oven. 
Serve  with  hard  sauce. 

Steamed  Rice  with  Chocolate  Sauce 

Steam  rice  in  double  boiler,  or  boil  for  thirty  minutes, 


346       THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

as  in  "  Boiled  Rice  "  receipt.     Serve  this  rice  with  hot 
chocolate  sauce. 

Scalloped  Apples 

(For  six  persons) 

1/^2  cups  apples  Nutmeg 

I  cup  bread  crumbs  Cinnamon 

il/2  tbsp.  butter  ys  tsp.  salt 

J4  CUP  sugar  y2  cup  boiling  water 

Melt  butter  and  stir  crumbs  and  butter  together. 
Put  one-fourth  of  them  in  bottom  of  buttered  pudding 
dish.  Then  put  in  a  layer  of  one-half  of  the  apples. 
Mix  sugar,  salt,  spices  and  lemon  rind  and  sprinkle  one- 
half  of  this  over  apples  in  dish.  Now  repeat  with  an- 
other layer  of  crumbs,  apples  and  lemon.  Add  the  water. 
Sprinkle  crumbs  on  top.  Cover  and  bake  thirty  to 
forty-five  minutes,  or  until  apples  get  soft. 

Apple  Snow 

First  make  apple  sauce  from  dried  or  fresh  apples. 
i  cup  apple  sauce  (strained) 
54  cup   sugar 
White  of  i  egg 
Lemon  juice  and  grated  rind 

Beat  all  together  until  white  and  fluffy.  Serve  with 
boiled  custard. 

Apple  Tapioca 

(For  eight  persons) 

yh  cup  minute  tapioca  2.^/2  cups  boiling  water 

Y*  tsp.  salt  Y*  cup  sugar 

7  sour  apples 

Add  four  more  cups  of  water  and  one-half  tsp.  salt. 
Cook  in  double  boiler  until  transparent. 


RECEIPTS  347 

Core  and  pare  apples  and  put  in  buttered  pudding 
dish.  Fill  cavities  of  apples  with  sugar  and  a  little  lemon 
juice.  Raisins  and  nuts  may  be  put  in  the  center  also. 
Pour  the  tapioca  over  the  apples  and  bake  in  a  moderate 
oven  until  the  apples  are  soft.  Serve  with  sugar  and 
cream  or  with  one  of  the  pudding  sauces. 

Peaches,  pears,  bananas,  cooked  figs  or  quinces  can  be 
substituted  for  apples.  Bread  crumbs  sprinkled  on  top 
of  pudding  will  brown,  also  keep  the  moisture  in. 

Plain  Bread  Pudding 

1  cup  bread  crumbs  I  egg 

2  cups  milk  3  tbsp.  sugar 

y2  tsp.  salt 

Lemon  Bread  Pudding 

1  cup  bread  crumbs  4  tbsp.  sugar 

2  cups  milk  YT.  tsp.  salt 

i  egg  Rind  of  I  lemon 

Chocolate  Bread  Pudding 

1  cup  bread  crumbs  8  tbsp.  sugar 

2  cups  milk  YZ  tsp.  salt 

i  egg  i  oz.  chocolate 

Soak  crumbs  and  milk  until  crumbs  are  soft.  Beat 
eggs  with  sugar  and  salt  and  add  this  to  the  soaked 
crumbs.  Put  into  a  buttered  dish  and  bake  in  a  moderate 
oven  for  thirty  or  forty  minutes,  or  until  a  knife  can  be 
put  into  the  pudding  and.  come  out  clean. 

Serve  plain  puddings  with  milk  and  sugar.  Chocolate 
pudding  with  chocolate 'sauce,  and  lemon  pudding  with  a 
lemon  sauce. 

French  Toast 
i  egg  i  tbsp.  butter 


348      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

YZ  cup  milk  y%  tsp.  each  salt  and  pep- 

1  tsp.  sugar  per 

4  slices  bread 

Beat  egg  slightly,  and  add  salt,  sugar  and  milk.  Soak 
bread  in  mixture  until  soft.  Have  buttered  griddle  very 
hot.  Fry  bread  on  griddle,  browning  first  on  one  side 
and  then  on  the  other.  This  can  be  served  for  breakfast 
or  luncheon,  or  with  a  sauce  can  be  served  as  a  dessert. 

Rice  Pudding 

4  cups  milk  y2  tsp.  salt 

%  cup  rice  %  cup  sugar 

Few  gratings  of  nutmeg  or  i  tsp.  vanilla 

Wash  rice.  Mix  all  ingredients  together  in  bowl,  pour 
into  a  buttered  baking  dish.  Bake  three  hours  in  slow 
oven. 

When  time  is  limited,  wash  rice,  put  in  four  cups 
scalded  milk  and  steam  twenty  minutes.  Add  sugar,  salt 
and  flavoring.  Pour  in  buttered  baking  dish.  Bake 
thirty  minutes. 

Parson's  Pie 

Cut  apples  into  eighths  and  fill  your  pie  plate  full. 
Pour  over  the  apples  two-thirds  of  a  cup  of  molasses 
and  one  teaspoon  of  cinnamon.  Cover  this  with  a  pie 
crust  and  bake  until  the  apples  are  soft. 

Soft  Custard 

2  cups  scalded  milk  y%  tsp.  salt 
Yolks  of  3  eggs  or  2  whole  y$  CUP  sugar 

eggs  */2  tsp.  vanilla 

Scald  milk.     Beat  eggs   slightly,  add  sugar  and  salt. 

Add  hot  milk  to  egg  mixture  so  slowly  as  to  prevent 

lumping.     Pour  all  back  into  double  boiler  and  cook  until 

mixture  coats  the  spoon.     Now  remove  at  once  from  the 


RECEIPTS  349 

fire  and  flavor  and  cool.  If  cooked  too  long  the  custard 
will  curdle.  If  eggs  are  expensive  two  tablespoons  of 
cornstarch  may  be  substituted  for  one  egg. 

Junket 

Heat  one  cup  of  sweet  milk  in  a  clean  enameled  sauce- 
pan. Dissolve  a  junket  tablet  in  one  tablespoon  of  cold 
water.  Turn  this  into  the  warm  milk,  and  stir  just 
enough  to  mix  it.  Add  a  very  little  sugar  and  vanilla  or 
chocolate  flavor.  Turn  into  a  bowl  to  cool.  A  beaten  egg 
added  just  before  taking  from  the  fire  adds  to  the  nour- 
ishing quality. 

Blanc  Mange 

Into  a  pint  of  boiling  fresh  milk  stir  two  tablespoon- 
fuls  of  cornstarch  made  smooth  in  a  little  cold  milk. 
While  thickening,  add  two  tablespoons  of  sugar  and  one- 
half  cup  of  the  juice  of  some  fruit  or  chocolate.  Turn 
into  a  double  boiler  and  let  it  steam  for  half  an  hour. 
Pour  into  molds  and  let  it  cool.  Serve  with  cream. 

Ice  Cream 

Scald  a  pint  of  milk  in  a  double  boiler.  Thicken  with 
one  tablespoonful  of  cornstarch,  which  has  first  been 
rubbed  smooth  with  a  little  cold  milk.  Add  one  egg 
(beaten)  and  one  cup  of  sugar.  When  it  thickens  set 
aside  to  cool.  Flavor  and  freeze.  A  pint  of  cream 
whipped  and  added  before  freezing  will  make  the  ice 
cream  richer. 

Baked  Custard 

4  eggs  y-z  cup  sugar 

4  cups  scalded  milk  %  tsp.  salt 

A  little  grated  nutmeg 

Beat  eggs  slightly,  add  sugar  and  salt  and  scalded  milk. 
Strain  into  buttered  pudding  dish.  Sprinkle  with  nut- 


350      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

meg.  Place  dish  in  pan  of  warm  water.  Bake  in  slow 
oven  until  firm.  Run  a  knife  blade  into  custard.  If 
knife  comes  out  clean  custard  is  done. 

Caramel  Custard 

(For  six  persons) 

t/2  cup  sugar  %  tsp.  salt 

2  cups  milk  (scalded)  ^  tsp.  vanilla 

2  eggs 

Melt  sugar  in  saucepan.  Add  scalded  milk  and  cook 
until  free  from  lumps.  Pour  slowly  into  beaten  egg. 
Add  vanilla.  Bake  in  dish  placed  in  pan  of  hot  water  in 
a  moderate  oven  until  knife  blade  put  in  center  comes 
out  clean. 

Lemon  Milk  Sherbet 

i  qt.  milk         Juice  of  3  lemons          \l/2  cups  sugar 
Mix  the  juice  and  sugar  together  and  gradually   stir 
in  the  milk.     Freeze  in  an  ice  cream  freezer  and  serve. 

Junket  Ice  Cream 

Heat  three-fourths  cup  of  sugar  in  one  quart  of  milk 
and  one  cup  of  cream.  When  lukewarm  add  one  junket 
tablet  dissolved  in  cold  water.  Pour  directly  into  the 
freezer.  When  it  begins  to  thicken  flavor  with  vanilla, 
chocolate  or  any  fruit  syrups  and  freeze. 

Arrowroot  Blanc  Mange 

*4  cup  sugar  2  tbsp.  arrowroot 

i  pt.  milk  i  tsp.  lemon 

Heat  milk  to  boiling  point.  Mix  arrowroot  and  sugar 
together  and  a  little  milk  to  make  paste.  Add  this  paste 
to  hot  milk.  Cook  all  in  double  boiler  for  twenty  minutes 


RECEIPTS  351 

and  then  strain.     Add  flavoring  just  before  taking  from 
fire. 

Arrowroot  can  be  purchased  from  any  drug  store. 

PUDDING  SAUCES 
Brown  Sugar  Sauce 

1  cup  water  i*/2  tbsp.  flour 

2  tsp.  lemon  juice  Y^  cup  brown  sugar 
i  tbsp.  butter                           A  little  nutmeg 

Mix  sugar  and  flour  together,  pour  over  it  boiling 
water.  Cook  until  clear  and  slightly  thick.  Add  butter 
just  before  taking  from  the  stove,  and  lemon  juice  before 
serving. 

Caramel  Sauce 

y2  cup  caramel  l/2  cup  water 

4  tbsp.  flour  3  tbsp.  sugar 

y2  tsp.  vanilla 

To  make  caramel,  melt  one-half  cup  of  sugar,  stirring 
constantly  but  not  allowing  it  to  burn  or  get  dark.  Take 
it  from  the  fire  for  a  minute  and  add  one-half  cup  boiling 
water.  Return  to  fire  and  boil  until  smooth.  This  cara- 
mel will  keep  for  a  long  time. 

Mix  flour  and  sugar  with  a  little  water  until  smooth. 
Add  this  to  the  caramel  and  cook  until  slightly  thick  and 
clear.  Add  vanilla. 

Fruit  Sauce 

White  of  i  egg  %  cup  powdered  sugar 

%  cup  of  fruit  juice  Lemon  juice 

Put  unbeaten  white  of  egg  in  bowl,  add  fruit  and 
sugar  gradually,  beating  it  with  the  Dover  egg  beater. 
Beat  until  smooth  and  thick.  Lemon  juice  is  added  to 
bring  out  the  flavor  of  the  fruit  and  less  sugar  is  needed 
if  fruit  is  sweet. 


352      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Hard  Sauce 

Pour  one  tablespoon  boiling  water  over  one-half  cup  of 
butter.  Stir  until  creamy  and  then  mix  in  one  cup  of 
granulated  sugar.  Flavor  with  nutmeg  or  lemon  or  van- 
illa. Serve  cold. 

Molasses  Sauce 

1  cup  golden  drip  syrup  Pinch  of  salt 

2  tbsp.  vinegar  or  juice  J^  i  tbsp.  butter 
lemon  A  little  vanilla 

Cook  all  together  until  the  mixture  begins  to  thicken, 
then  take  from  stove  and  cool,  or  the  sauce  can  be  served 
hot. 

Chocolate  Sauce.     No.  i 

1  cup  sugar  \y2  tbsp.  cornstarch 

2  tbsp.  cocoa  2  cups  boiling  water 
Pinch  salt  i  tsp.  vanilla 

Mix  dry  ingredients.  Add  boiling  water  slowly,  stir- 
ring constantly.  Cook  on  slow  fire  for  ten  minutes.  Re- 
move from  fire,  add  vanilla  and  serve  hot  with  rice  or  any 
pudding. 

Chocolate  Sauce.     No.  2 

i  cup  water  i  oz.  bitter  chocolate 

YZ  cup  sugar  l/2  tsp.  vanilla 

i  tbsp.  flour 

Mix  sugar  and  flour.  Pour  over  it  boiling  water. 
Cook  until  clear,  and  slightly  thick.  Add  melted  choco- 
late and  vanilla  just  before  taking  from  the  stove. 


CAKES  AND  COOKIES 

To  Test  an  Oven 

1.  Place  a  piece  of  clean  white  paper  in  oven  and  time 
with  the  clock.     If  paper  browns  in  five  minutes,  oven  is 
hot;  if  paper  burns  in  five  minutes,  oven  is  too  hot;  if 
paper  browns  in  eight  minutes,  oven  is  moderately  hot. 

2.  Another  test  is  holding  the  hand  in  the  oven  and 
counting.     Your  hand  should  feel  very  hot  in  six  counts 
for  a  hot  oven  and  in  eight  counts  for  a  moderate  oven. 

To  Test  a  Cake 

1.  Take  a  clean  toothpick  and  pierce  center  of  cake 
when  it  begins  to  seem  done.     If  toothpick  comes  out 
dry  and  clean,  cake  is  done.     If  moist,  the  cake  is  not 
done. 

2.  A  cake  shrinks  from  the  sides  of  the  pan  when  done, 
excepting  a  pound  cake. 

3.  Press  a  cake  lightly  with  tip  of  finger;  if  it  rebounds 
cake  is  done,  if  not  cake  is  not  done. 

Spanish  Cake 

%  cup  butter  i  scant  cup  flour 

24  cup  milk  i  egg 

y>  cup  sugar  il/2  tsp.  baking  powder 

y2  tsp.  cinnamon  Pinch  of  salt. 

Mix  dry  ingredients.  Cream  together  butter  and 
sugar.  Beat  the  yolk  of  egg  and  add  this  to  the  milk. 
Now  add  milk  and  egg  mixture  to  flour  mixture,  and  then 
sugar  and  butter,  and  lastly  the  white  of  the  egg  beaten. 

353 


354      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Spice  Cake 

y*  cup  sugar  i  egg 

24  cup  sour  milk  I  tsp.  soda 

y2  cup  molasses  I  tsp.  ginger 

iy-2,  cup  flour  i  tsp.  salt 

Mix  and  sift  dry  ingredients,  excepting  sugar.  Com- 
bine sugar  and  molasses.  Add  to  this  the  beaten  egg, 
and  then  add  to  the  molasses  and  egg  mixture  the  flour 
and  the  milk  alternately.  Bake  twenty  minutes  in  muffin 
tins. 

Dutch  Apple  Cake 

2  cups  flour  3  tsp.  baking  powder 
i  cup  milk,  scant                     2  tbsp.  sugar 

3  tbsp.  melted  butter  i  egg 

y*  tsp.  salt 

Mix  dry  ingredients  together.  Add  milk  and  egg 
(beaten).  Add  melted  butter.  Spread  this  batter  about 
three-quarter  inch  thick  on  a  buttered  tin.  Stick  this  full 
of  thin  slices  of  apple.  Sprinkle  with  sugar  and  cinna- 
mon, and  bake  until  brown.  This  can  be  served  with  a 
number  of  sauces,  one  of  which  is  Brown  Sugar  Sauce. 

Feather  Cake 

(For  twelve  persons) 

4  tbsp.  butter  2^  tsp.  baking  powder 
i  cup  sugar  2  eggs 

il/2  cup  flour  y2  cup  milk 

Put  butter  in  a  mixing  bowl  and  work  it  with  a  spoon 
until  creamy.  Then  gradually  add  sugar,  continuing  to 
cream  it.  Sift  salt,  baking  powder  and  flour  together. 
Separate  the  yolks  of  the  eggs  from  the  whites,  beat  yolks 
and  add  to  milk.  Now  add  the  milk  and  egg  mixture  and 
the  flour  mixture  to  the  creamed  butter,  alternating  first 
one  then  the  other.  Add  a  little  vanilla,  and  the  last 


RECEIPTS  355 

thing  stir  in  the  whites  of  the  eggs  beaten  to  a  stiff  froth. 
Bake  in  a  shallow  pan.  Either  butter  this  pan  slightly  or 
line  with  buttered  paper.  Bake  about  thirty  minutes. 

Ginger  Bread 

(For  twelve  persons) 

2  cups  flour  YA,  cup  sour  milk 

Y*  cup  brown  sugar  I  tsp.  cinnamon 

24  cup  molasses  2  tbsp.  butter  or 

i  tsp.  soda  I  tbsp.  butter  and 

I  tsp.  ginger  I  tbsp.  lard 

Sift  together  dry  ingredients.  Mix  soda  and  molasses 
and  milk,  and  stir  slowly  into  the  dry  ingredients.  Melt 
the  butter  (or  the  butter  and  lard)  and  add  this  to  the 
whole.  Bake  from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes  in  moderate 
oven.  Test  with  a  toothpick  kept  for  the  purpose,  not 
with  a  broom  straw. 

Cinnamon  Cakes 

(For  twelve  persons) 

y2  cup  butter  I  24  cups  flour 

i  cup  sugar  3  tbsp.  baking  powder 

Yolks  2  eggs  I  tbsp.  cinnamon 

YZ  cup  milk  Whites  2  eggs 

Cream  butter  and  sugar.  Beat  yolks  of  eggs,  add 
milk.  Add  egg  and  milk  to  butter  and  sugar.  Sift  all 
dry  ingredients  and  add  to  wet  mixture.  Beat  whites 
of  eggs  stiff  and  fold  in  to  mixture.  Put  in  well  but- 
tered muffin  pan  and  bake  until  done  when  tested. 

Chocolate  Frosting  with  Nuts 

5  cups  brown  sugar  I  cup  cream  or  milk 

A  little  butter  2  squares  chocolate 

i  cup  walnuts  Vanilla 


356      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Boil  all  together  like  fudge.  Add  a  few  drops  of 
vanilla  and  the  nuts  at  the  last. 

Cookies 

1  cup  butter  2  cups  flour 

2  cups  sugar  2  eggs 

i  cup  milk  y>  tsp.  vanilla 

2  tsp.  baking  powder 

Beat  butter  and  sugar  together  and  to  this  add  milk  and 
beaten  egg.  Sift  flour  and  baking  powder  together  and 
add  this  to  butter  mixture. 

Cookies 

(For  twelve  persons) 

1  cup  sugar  3  tbsp.  butter  or 
y±  cup  milk                              3  tbsp.  fat 

2  cups  flour  2  tsp.  baking  powder 

1  egg  y>  tsp.  salt 

Little  Nutmeg 

Beat  butter  and  sugar  together  (hard).  Add  beaten 
egg.  Sift  dry  ingredients  together,  and  add  to  butter  and 
egg  mixture  flour  and  milk  alternately. 

Hermits 

J^  cup  butter  i  tsp.  cinnamon 

y2  cup  sugar  2^  cups  flour 

3  eggs  i  cup  sour  milk 

2  tsp.  soda  i  cup  molasses 

i  tsp.  ginger  i  cup  chopped  raisins 

i  tsp.  cloves  y2  cup  chopped  nuts 

Sift  dry  ingredients.  Add  to  this  butter  creamed,  mo- 
lasses and  sour  milk  in  which  soda  has  been  dissolved. 
Lastly  add  the  beaten  eggs,  raisins  and  nuts.  Drop  as 
thin  as  possible  onto  buttered  tin. 


RECEIPTS  357 

Oatmeal  Cakes 

1  cup  sugar  i  tbsp.  butter 

2^/2.  cups  Quaker  Oats  i  tsp.  baking  powder 

2  eggs  i  tsp.  vanilla 

Cream  together  sugar  and  butter.  Add  to  this  eggs 
(beaten)  and  Quaker  Oats  mixed  with  baking  powder. 
Add  vanilla  at  the  last.  Butter  pans  and  dredge  with 
flour.  Drop  batter  on  to  pan  and  bake  in  hot  oven. 


COOKED  FRUITS 
Baked  Apple 

Wash  and  core  tart  apples.  Place  in  a  shallow  baking- 
pan.  Fill  centers  with  one  tbsp.  sugar  for  each  apple. 
Pour  over  boiling  water  enough  to  cover  bottom  of  pan 
well.  Sprinkle  with  nutmeg  or  cinnamon.  Bake  in  mod- 
erate oven  until  very  tender.  During  baking,  baste  apple 
with  the  syrup  at  least  every  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes. 
Serve  hot  or  cold,  with  or  without  cream. 

Stewed  Apples 

Select  sour  apples  for  cooking. 

Wash,  pare,  and  cut  into  quarters.  Remove  cores. 
For  every  four  whole  apples  make  a  syrup  of  the  follow- 
ing: 

i  tbsp.  lemon  juice,  or  y2  tsp.  nutmeg. 

i  cup  sugar  ^2  cup  water 

Drop  apples  into  this  syrup  and  cook  until  clear,  stirring 
carefully  to  avoid  breaking. 

Apple  Sauce 

Wash  and  pare  six  nice  sour  apples.  Cut  in  slices. 
Put  in  saucepan  with  water  enough  to  prevent  their  burn- 
ing. Cook  until  apple  is  soft.  Just  before  taking  from 
fire,  add  one  tbsp.  sugar  for  each  apple  and  the  juice 
of  one  lemon.  Stir  hard.  Take  from  fire,  and  strain 
through  fine  strainer.  A  sprinkling  of  nutmeg  or  cinna- 
mon adds  to  flavor. 

358 


RECEIPTS  359 

Dried  Apple  Sauce 

I  cup  dried  apples  y^  cup  sugar  or  molasses 

3  cups  cold  water  A  little  nutmeg 

Wash  apples  and  let  them  soak  in  cold  water  about  a 
half  hour.  Stew  in  same  water  until  soft.  Add  sugar 
and  nutmeg  (lemon  juice  can  be  added  in  place  of  nut- 
meg). Serve  hot  or  cold. 

There  are  many  desserts  made  from  dried  fruits  and 
thus  utilize  this  food  with  its  high  nutritive  value  :  for  ex- 
ample, Fig  Pudding,  Prune  Souffle,  Prune  Pudding,  Fig 
Sandwiches,  Fig  rilling  for  cake,  Dried  Apple  Pie,  Dried 
Apple  Pudding. 

Stewed  Prunes 

i  Ib.  prunes  Pinch  of  salt 

Cold  water  2  tbsp.  sugar 

Wash  and  pick  over  prunes.  Put  in  a  saucepan  of  cold 
water  and  soak  for  two  hours.  Then  in  the  same  water 
allow  the  prunes  to  cook  until  soft.  When  they  seem 
nearly  soft  enough  add  the  sugar  and  salt.  Molasses  can 
be  added  instead  of  sugar,  or  cook  prunes  with  no  sugar. 

Prune  Jelly 

%  Ib.  prunes  2  tbsp.  almonds 

I  cup  sugar  y*  box  Cox's  gelatine  or 

2  tbsp.  granulated  gelatine 

Soak  washed  prunes  in  cold  water  as  for  stewed  prunes, 
and  stew  until  tender.  Take  out  the  stones  and  add 
sugar.  Dissolve  the  gelatine  in  a  little  cold  water.  Add 
this  gelatine  to  the  prunes  while  boiling  hot.  Also  add 
the  juice  of  one  lemon  and  the  almonds,  which  have  been 
blanched  and  chopped.  Pour  the  jelly  into  a  mold  and 
put  on  ice,  or  cover  it  and  put  it  in  a  cold  place.  This 
is  better  eaten  with  cream  or  milk. 


360      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Stewed  Apricots 

Y2  Ib.  apricots  I  tsp.  lemon  juice 

i  tbsp.  sugar  Pinch  of  salt 

Pick  over  and  wash  the  apricots.  Put  in  saucepan 
and  allow  to  soak  for  at  least  two  hours.  Then  cook  in 
the  same  water  until  soft,  adding  more  water  if  neces- 
sary. Add  sugar,  lemon  and  salt,  and  serve  hot  or  cold. 

FRUITS  FOR  CHILDREN 

Stewed  Fresh  Fruits 

Raw  fruits  are  seldom  good  for  children  or  persons  with 
delicate  stomachs.  The  steamed  or  stewed  fruit  is  pre- 
pared by  washing  the  raw  fruit,  peeling,  coring  it,  and 
cutting  it  into  quarters.  It  can  be  cooked  with  a  little 
sugar. 

or 

Fruit  can  be  cooked  without  extra  sugar,  as  the  sugar 
in  the  fruit  is  enough  for  children. 

Steamed  Apple 

Pare  and  core  the  apple  and  drop  it  at  once  into  cold 
water,  for  if  it  begins  to  discolor  it  is  bad  for  the  child. 
Put  the  apple  into  the  top  part  of  the  double  boiler,  add- 
ing no  water  to  the  apple,  but  having  plenty  of  boiling 
water  in  the  lower  part.  When  apple  is  soft,  beat  it  with 
a  spoon.  Add  a  very  little  sugar  and  strain  through  a 
fine  strainer.  An  agate  strainer  is  better  than  tin,  as  the 
latter  destroys  the  flavor  of  the  apple.  Apple  sauce  may 
be  made  instead  of  steamed  apple,  and  strained  in  the 
same  way. 

Orange 

Squeeze  the  ,uice  from  the  orange.  Strain  it  through 
a  fine  strainer  so  that  no  pulp  remains.  At  first  give  a 
child  two  tablespoonf uls,  and  very  gradually  increase. 


RECEIPTS  361 

Other  fruit  juices  which  are  good  for  children  are: 
Peach,  red  raspberry,  strawberry,  pineapple.  All  of 
these  should  be  strained  very  carefully,  as  neither  pulp  nor 
seeds  should  be  given  to  a  child.  To  extract  the  juice, 
it  may  be  necessary  to  cook  the  fruit  for  a  few  moments 
before  straining.  Give  fruit  juice  to  a  child  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  never  at  night. 


RECEIPTS  FOR  MARMALADE,  JAM  AND 
JELLY 

Grape  Marmalade 

Pick  over,  wash,  drain  and  remove  stems  from  grapes. 
Separate  pulp  from  skins.  Put  pulp  in  kettle  and  cook 
until  seeds  separate,  then  strain  through  sieve.  Return 
pulp  to  kettle  with  skins.  Add  three-fourths  as  much 
sugar  as  fruit.  Cook  slowly  twenty  minutes,  stirring 
occasionally.  Put  in  sterilized  stone  jars  or  jelly  glasses. 

Rhubarb  Marmalade 

One  quart  bright  red  rhubarb  stalks.  Yellow  rind  and 
pulp  of  six  oranges.  One  and  a  half  pounds  of  granu- 
lated sugar. 

Wash  and  cut  rhubarb  in  small  pieces,  add  orange  pulp 
and  cook  until  thick  when  tried  on  a  cold  saucer.  Re- 
move from  fire  and  add  one  cup  of  nuts  which  have  been 
cut  in  small  pieces.  Cut  the  orange  rind  in  strips  and 
cook  until  tender;  then  cut  in  still  smaller  pieces  and 
add  to  rhubarb.  Also  add  one  cup  of  raisins.  Put  back 
over  the  fire  and  boil  ten  minutes.  Pour  into  sterilized 
jars  or  tumblers. 

Raisins  and  rhubarb  may  be  cut  with  scissors. 
The  orange  rind  is  what  imparts  the  bitter  taste  to  the 
marmalade. 

Orange  Marmalade 

6  large  sour  oranges  3^  pts.  cold  water 

3  lemons  4  Ibs.  sugar 

Scrub  and  cut  fruit  in  slices,  rejecting  ends  and  seeds. 

362 


RECEIPTS  363 

Cover  with  the  water  and  soak  over  night.  The  follow- 
ing morning  add  sugar  and  cook  one  hour.  Two  cups  of 
shredded,  blanched  almonds  may  be  added  just  before 
taking  from  the  fire. 

Raspberry  Jam 

Pick  over  raspberries,  wash,  put  in  a  preserving  kettle 
and  mash  fine  with  a  potato  masher.  Heat  to  boiling 
point  and  add  an  equal  quantity  of  sugar.  Cook  slowly 
until  thick  when  tried  on  a  cold  saucer.  Put  in  sterilized 
jars  or  jelly  glasses.  Any  berries  may  be  used  in  the 
same  way. 

Grape  Jelly 

Pick  over  grapes,  wash,  remove  stems,  put  in  a  pre- 
serving kettle  and  heat  to  boiling  point.  Then  mash  and 
cook  for  thirty  minutes.  Strain  through  a  coarse  strainer 
to  remove  skins  and  seeds.  Then  put  in  a  jelly  bag  and 
drain.  Measure  juice,  put  in  the  kettle  and  boil  five 
minutes.  Add  sugar  (equal  portion),  boil  three  minutes, 
and  pour  into  sterilized  glasses. 

Do  not  squeeze  pulp  for  jelly;  it  makes  the  jelly  cloudy. 

Currant  Jelly 

Currant  jelly  is  made  the  same  way  as  grape  jelly,  only 
currants  do  not  need  to  be  removed  from  stems  at  the 
beginning. 

Crab-apple  Jelly  ' 

Crab-apple  jelly  is  made  the  same  as  grape,  after  apples 
are  wiped  and  cut  in  quarters,  stems  and  stem  ends  being 
rejected.  In  making  crab-apple  jelly,  the  apples  are 
cooked  in  enough  water  to  come  to  the  edge  of  apples  in 
the  kettle,  and  are  cooked  until  tender. 


364      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

Cranberry  Jelly 

Pick  over  and  wash  berries.  For  every  four  cups  of 
berries  use  one  cup  of  boiling  water.  Cook  until  soft. 
Rub  through  fine  sieve,  add  two  cups  of  sugar  and  cook 
for  five  minutes.  Turn  into  glasses  or  a  mold. 

Cranberry  Sauce 

Pick  over  and  wash  three  cups  berries.  Put  in  a  sauce- 
pan with  one  and  one-fourth  cups  of  sugar  and  one  cup  of 
cold  water.  Boil  until  soft.  Skim  and  cool. 


ITALIAN  RECEIPTS 

Beans  and  Pasta 

YZ  lb.  pasta  i  tbsp.  chopped  onion 

2  tbsp.  oil  or  drippings  J/£  red  pepper 

I  cup  or  %  lb.  beans  Little  salt 

Boil  beans  about  two  hours  after  soaking  over  night; 
add  pasta  and  cook  about  half  an  hour  more ;  heat  oil  in 
separate  saucepan  with  red  pepper,  and  chopped  onion. 
Add  this  to  beans  at  the  time  pasta  is  added. 

Macaroni  with  Tomato 

1  lb.  macaroni  i  green  pepper 

2  tbsp.  oil  or  drippings  Salt 

i  pt.  can  tomatoes  I  tbsp.  onion 

Boil  tomato,  drippings,  pepper,  seasoning,  and  onion 
together  for  one  hour  slowly;  cook  macaroni  in  boiling 
water  for  about  half  an  hour;  drain  oft  hot  water  and 
pour  cold  water  over  macaroni  to  remove  starchy  scum. 
Fill  dish  with  dry  hot  macaroni  and  pour  tomato  mixture 
over  the  whole.  A  quarter  of  a  pound  store  cheese  grated 
should  be  added  to  the  hot  macaroni  just  before  serving. 

Rice  and  Pea  Soup 

*/2  cup  rice 

i  cup  whole  dry  green  peas 
Cook  same  as  pasta  and  beans. 

Lentils  and  Rice 

Put  lentils  to  soak  night  before;  drain  off  water,  add 

365 


366      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

lentils  to  fresh  boiling  water,  and  boil  until  soft.  Fry 
.separately  two  tablespoons  drippings,  half  chopped  small 
onion,  pepper  and  salt;  fry  until  onion  is  brown;  add 
to  this  two  tablespoons  chopped  celery  and  a  like  quan- 
tity chopped  parsley.  Add  this  fried  mixture  to  the 
cooking  lentils.  Add  at  the  same  time  the  rice  well 
washed.  Cook  the  whole  together  for  half  an  hour. 

Dried  Lima  Beans  and  Pasta 

These  are  cooked  the  same  as  beans  and  pasta.  Lima 
beans  may  be  used  with  rice  instead  of  pasta. 

If  it  is  desired  to  have  the  lentils,  macaroni,  peas  and 
beans  more  of  a  soup  consistency,  cook  longer  in  more 
water. 

Polenta 

I  cup  corn  meal  Parmesan  cheese  ^  Ib. 

4  heaping  tbsp.  butter 

Salt  and  pepper.  Boil  cornmeal  in  boiling  water  and 
salt,  for  at  least  two  hours;  have  it  the  consistency  of 
mush  and  pour  into  a  shallow  dish;  the  mush  not  more 
than  one  inch  thick.  When  cold  cut  mush  in  squares. 
Place  layer  of  cornmeal  squares  in  baking-dish ;  cover  the 
layer  with  pieces  of  butter  and  sprinkling  of  cheese,  more 
corn  meal  and  then  more  butter  and  cheese.  Sprinkle 
.grated  cheese  on  top,  brown  in  oven. 

Rice  with  Tomato  and  Cheese 

One  cup  rice.  Tomato  sauce,  as  for  macaroni.  Four 
tablespoons  grated  cheese  (Roman  cheese  is  used  by 
Italians).  Cook  rice  in  boiling  water  for  half  an  hour; 
-drain  off  water,  pour  tomato  mixture  on  the  rice,  and  just 
before  serving  sprinkle  grated  cheese  on  top. 


RECEIPTS  367 

Rice  and  Beans 

Rice  and  beans  are  cooked  in  the  same  way  as  pasta  and 
beans.  To  half  cup  of  rice  and  half  cup  of  beans,  a  little 
garlic  is  always  added  by  the  Italians. 

Menestra 

2  cups  tomato  i  small  cabbage 

i  onion  3  good-sized  potatoes 

1  green  pepper  ^  tsp.  salt 

2  tbsp.  olive  oil  2  cents'  worth  soup  greens 
i  stalk  celery  A  little  garlic 

3  carrots 

Chop  onion,  green  pepper  and  garlic,  and  fry  in  oil. 
Chop  cabbage  and  soup  greens,  and  boil  for  about  ten 
minutes  in  one  quart  of  water.  At  the  end  of  ten  min- 
utes add  the  carrot  sliced  and  the  potato  cut  in  cubes, 
and  allow  to  boil  for  half  hour  more.  Add  the  tomato 
and  the  oil  and  onion  mixture.  Season,  and  when  all  are 
thoroughly  blended  together,  serve. 

Risotto 

]/2  cup  rice  Small  piece  veal  or  sweet- 

i  cup  strong  stock  bread 

i  cup  tomato  (canned)          3  small  onions 

or  i  fresh  tomato  i  tbsp.  butter  (heaping) 

Fry  onion,  chopped  fine,  in  butter,  add  tomato  and  let 
it  boil  hard  for  half  an  hour  with  just  enough  water  to 
thin  the  tomato  so  that  it  will  boil  easily.  Chop  the  pieces 
of  veal  very  fine,  or  put  it  through  the  meat  grinder. 
Ham  can  be  used  instead  of  veal  or  sweetbread,  chopped 
fine.  Add  this  meat  to  the  tomato  with  one  cup  of  good 
stock. 

Wash  rice  and  add  slowly  to  boiling  stock.  Stir  care- 
fully so  that  rice  is  quite  cooked  but  not  pulpy.  Mix  in 


368      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

at  least  four  tablespoons  of  grated  Parmesan  cheese. 
The  rice  should  be  the  consistency  of  a  vegetable  not  a 
soup. 


KOSHER  RECEIPTS 

Noodles  and  Cheese 

y-2  lb.  noodles  >^  Ib.  pot  cheese 

Butter  size  of  walnut  Salt  to  taste 

Put  water  on  to  boil,  with  salt.  Cook  noodles  in  boil- 
ing water  about  half  hour.  Strain  off  water,  add  butter 
and  cheese  to  noodles  after  taking  from  fire.  Stir  before 
serving. 

Oatmeal  and  Potatoes 

i  pound  potatoes  Butter  size  of  walnut 

i  onion  Salt  to  taste 

54  cup  oatmeal  i  cent's  worth  soup  greens 

Put  one  and  half  quarts  water  to  boil,  with  salt.  Cook 
oatmeal  in  boiling  salted  water  quarter  of  an  hour.  Add 
potatoes  cut  in  cubes  and  boil  half  hour  longer.  While 
potatoes  and  oatmeal  are  boiling,  fry  the  onion  in  the 
butter  with  the  chopped  soup  greens.  Add  this  to  potato 
and  oatmeal  mixture.  Season  to  taste. 

Noodles  and  Milk 

\y2  qts.  milk  y2  lb.  noodles 

Salt  to  taste 

Cook  noodles  in  boiling  salted  water  until  soft.  Do 
not  strain  off  quite  all  of  the  water.  Add  boiling  milk 
just  before  serving.  Season  to  taste. 

Pea  Soup 

i  cup  dried  split  peas  2  cents'  worth  soup  greens 

369 


370      THE  HOME  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT 

i  onion  Salt  to  taste 

y2  lb.  noodles  Butter  size  of  walnut 

Soak  peas  over  night.  In  the  morning  boil  peas  slowly 
for  about  one  hour.  Fry  chopped  onion,  soup  greens, 
and  butter  together  in  a  frying  pan.  Add  to  cooked  peas 
half  pound  of  noodles  twenty  minutes  before  serving. 
Add  the  fried  onion  and  butter  at  least  ten  minutes  be- 
fore taking  from  fire. 

Lima  Beans  and  Barley 

i  cup  dried  Lima  beans        ^  cup  barley 
i  onion  Butter  size  of  walnut 

Soup  greens  Salt  to  taste 

Cook  beans  two  hours,  add  barley,  and  cook  one  hour 

longer.     Add  fried  butter  and  onion  mixture,  as  in  receipt 

for  oatmeal  and  potatoes. 

White  Beans  and  Rice 

1  cup  white  beans  %  cup  rice 
Butter  size  of  walnut  i  onion 

i  cent's  worth  soup  greens 

Cook  beans  two  hours,  add  rice  and  cook  for  twenty 
minutes  longer.  Just  before  serving,  add  fried  butter, 
onion,  and  chopped  soup  greens  mixture,  as  in  receipt 
for  oatmeal  and  potatoes. 

Beans  and  Green  Peppers 

y2  lb.  red  kidney  beans          ^2  lb,  cheese 

2  peppers 

Cayenne  pepper  and  salt  to  taste 

Soak  beans  over  night.  In  the  morning,  cook  slowly 
for  one  hour.  Chop  peppers  and  cook  with  beans.  Just 
before  taking  from  fire,  add  cut-up  cheese  to  hot  beans 
and  peppers.  Serve  hot  on  toast. 


RECEIPTS  371 

Nut  Loaf 

i  cup  peanuts  i  cup  chopped  walnuts 

2.y2  cups  bread  crumbs          2  eggs 

i  tsp.  salt  Pepper 

i  tbls.  butter 

Mix  together  ground  peanuts  and  chopped  walnuts  or 
almonds,  salt,  pepper,  fine  bread  crumbs.  When  well 
blended,  add  eggs,  slightly  beaten,  and  mold  into  a  loaf. 
Place  in  a  well  buttered  roasting  tin,  and  cook  in  mod- 
erate oven  about  ten  minutes.  Then  pour  over  it  one 
cup  hot  water  in  which  the  butter  has  been  stirred,  and 
bake  half  hour,  basting  as  in  meat.  Make  a  gravy  from 
the  drippings. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Accidents,  246-248 
Accounting,  household,  126-134 
Agateware,  care  of,  29 
Aid,  first,  to  injured,  246-248 
Air,  for  babies,  201 
for  children,  213 
in  summer,  249 
Albumen  water,  receipt,  315 
Ants  and  roaches,  to  rid  closets 

of,  32 

Apartment,  selecting,  6 
Apples,  baked,  receipt,  358 
Apple  and   water   cress   salad, 

receipt,  330 

Apple   dumpling,    receipt,   345 
Apple  pudding,  receipt,  344 
Apple  sauce,  receipt,  358,  359 
Apple  snow,  receipt,  346 
Apple,  steamed,  receipt,  360 
Apple  tapioca,  receipt,  346 
Arrowroot    blanc    mange,    re- 
ceipt, 350 
Asparagus  tip,  receipt,  325 


Baby,  air  for,  201 

bathing,  198 

clothes  for,  183-190 

dressing,  199 

necessities  for,  183 

nursing,  193 

prenatal  care  of,  190 

sleep  for,  200 

washing  clothes  of,  202 
Bacteria,  see  germs,  231 
Baked   apples,   food   value   of, 
158 


Baked  beans,  receipt,  323 
Baked  corn,  receipt,  323 
Baked  custard,  receipt,  349 
Baked     halibut     with     tomato 

sauce,  receipt,  308 
Baking,  163-174 
Baking  cake,  173 
Baking-powder  biscuits,  335 
Barley  gruel,  290 
Bathing,  baby,  198 

children,  214 

invalids,  236 

Bathroom,  furnishing,  77 
Bath-tubs,  cleaning,  78 
Batter,  rules  for  making,  167 
Beans   and  green   peppers,   re- 
ceipt, 370 

Beans  and  pasta,  receipt,  365 
Bed  linen,  laundering,  96,  103 
Bed,  to  make  a,  60-62 
Bedroom,  care  of,  59 

child's,  57 

don'ts  for  the,  54 

guest's,  58 
Bedrooms,  9 
Bed  sores,  242 
Beef  broth,  receipt,  300 
Beef  croquettes,  receipt,  314 
Beef  juice,  receipt,  299 
Beef  kidney  stew,  receipt,  316 
Beef,  methods  of  cutting,   113 
Beef  stew,  receipt,  310 
Beets,  receipt,  322 
Blanc  mange,  receipt,  349 
Blankets,  laundering,  105 
Blood  stains,  to  remove,  99 
Body,  needs  of  the,  282 


375 


376 


INDEX 


Boiled   salad  dressing,  receipt, 

328 

Boiler  for  laundry,  91 
Bottles  for  infants,  208 
Braised  beef,  receipt,  313 
Brass,  to  clean,  66 
Bread    and   butter   apple   pud- 
ding, receipt,  344 
Bread   and   butter,   food   value 

of,  156 

Bread,  food  value  of,  144 
Bread  omelet,  receipt,  338 
Bread  pudding,  receipt,  347 
Breakfast  table,  setting,  40 
Brickets,  23 

Brown  bread,  receipt,  338 
Brown  sugar  sauce,  receipt.  351 
Buckwheat   griddle   cakes,    re- 
ceipt, 336 

Burns,  treatment  of,  247 
Butter,  food  value  of,  144  • 

Cake  making,  173 
Cake  receipts,  353 
Calory,  138,  142,  282 
Cannelon  of  beef,  receipt,  315 
Canning  fruit,  176,  179 
Caramel  custard,  receipt,  350 
Caramel  sauce,  receipt,  351 
Carrots,  receipt,  323 
Casserole  of  meat  and  rice,  re- 
ceipt, 310 

Celery  sandwiches,  receipt,  342 
Celery  soup,  receipt,  298 
Cereals,  cooking,  289 

food  value  of,  143 

for  children,  289 

time-table  for  cooking,  155 
Cheese  and  nut  sandwiches,  re- 
ceipt, 341 
Cheese   and    olive    sandwiches, 

receipt,  341 

Cheese  crackers,  receipt,  332 
Cheese  fondu,  receipt,  332 
Cheese  sandwiches,  receipt,  341 


Cheese  sticks,  receipt,  333 
Chicken  broth,  receipt,  301 
Child  hygiene,  218-223 
Children,  air  for,  213 

bathing,  214 

care  of,  183-215 

care  of  teeth  of,  214 

cereals  for,  289 

exercise  for,  213 

food  for,  210-223 

fruits  for,  211 

preparation  of  food  for,  212 

sleep  for,  212 
Children's  diseases,  195-197 

colic,  195 

constipation,  195 

convulsions,  195 

croup,  196 

diarrhea,  196 

earache,  196 

measles,  197 

mumps,  197 

whooping-cough,  197 
China,  shelves  for,  37 
Chocolate    frosting   with    nuts, 

receipt,  355 

Chocolate  sauce,  receipt,  352 
Chocolate  stains,  to  remove,  99 
Chops  —  lamb    or    mutton,    re- 
ceipt, 315 

Cinnamon  cakes,  receipt,  355 
City  waste,  disposal  of,  262-282 
Clam  chowder,  receipt,  297 
Clear    vegetable    soup,    receipt, 

300 
Clothes,  for  baby,  183-190 

soaking  clothes,  94 

soiled,  receptacles  for,  85 

washing  baby's,  202 
Clothes-stick  for  laundry,  91 
Closets,  to  clean  kitchen,  31-33 
Coal,  22 

Coddled  eggs,  receipt,  304 
Codfish  balls,  receipt,  306 
Codfish  hash,  receipt,  306 


INDEX 


377 


Codfish  pudding,  receipt,  309 
Colic,  195 

Colored  clothes,  laundering,  105 
Colored  cotton  cloth,  97 
Constipation  in  children,  195 
Convulsions,  195 
Cookies,  receipt,  356 
Cooking,  cereals,  154 
definition  and  methods,   152, 

153 

proportions,  152 

rules,  151 

vegetables,  172 

weights  and  measures,  151 
Corn  bread,  receipt,  196 
Corn  soup,  receipt,  298 
Corned  beef  hash,  receipt,  312 
Cornmeal    and    syrup,    receipt, 

293 

Cornmeal  griddle  cakes,  re- 
ceipt, 337 

Cosmetics,  advice  as  to,  228 
Cottage  cheese,  receipt,  332 
Cottage  pie,  receipt,  316 
Country  houses,  12 
Crabapple  jelly,  receipt,  363 
Cranberry  jelly,  receipt,  364 
Cranberry  sauce,  receipt,  364 
Cream  of  tomato  soup,  receipt, 

295 

Cream  sauce  for  oysters,  re- 
ceipt, 327 

Cream  soups,  receipt,  301 

Creamed  eggs,  receipt,  303 

Creamed  potatoes  with  cheese, 
receipt,  320 

Croup,  196 

Currant  jelly,  receipt,  363 

Cuts,  248 

Desk  in  living-room,  49 
Desserts,  receipt,  344 
Diarrhea,  196 
Diet  sensible,  135-149 
Diets  for  children,  218-223 


Dining  room,  care  of,  39 

furnishing,  37 

rules,  44 

Dinner  table,  to  set,  41 
Disease,  prevention  of,  224-235 
Diseases  of  children,  195-197 
Dish  towels,  washing,  26 
Dish  washing,  23-25 
Disinfectants,  234 
Don'ts  for  babies,  201 
Door  handles,  repairing,  85 
Doughs,  166 
Dressing  baby,  199 
Dried  apple  sauce,  receipt,  359 
Dried  bread,  receipt,  336 
Dried   Lima  beans   and   pasta, 

receipt,  366 
Dry  toast,  receipt,  340 
Dutch  apple  cake,  354 

Earache,  196 
Egg  muffins,  receipt,  334 
Egg  sandwiches,  receipt,  341 
Eggs,  coddled,  receipt,  304 
creamed,  receipt,  303 
goldenrod,  receipt,  303 
in  a  nest,  receipt,  302 
scrambled,  receipt,  303 
soft-boiled,  receipt,  302 
Spanish  style,  receipt,  304 
Equipment  for  ironing,  92 
Equipment  for  laundry,  89-93 
Exercise  for  children,  213 
Eyes,  care  of,  231 

Farina  with  dates,  receipt,  294 

Feather  cake,  receipt,  354 

Feet,  care  of,  230 

Fire,  making  the  kitchen  fire,  20 

Fire-escapes,  7 

Fireplaces,  9 

Fish,  123 

baked,  receipt,  307 

balls,  receipt,  306 

chowder,  receipt,  295 


378 


INDEX 


sandwiches,  receipt,  342 

seasons,  124 

Flannels,  laundering,  104 
Flies  as  disease  carriers,  253 
Floors,  treatment  of,  81 
Food,  elements  in,  136-139 

for  children,  210-223 

for  infants,  203-210 

summer,  255 
Food  value  of  bread  and  butter, 

156 

Food  value  of  fruit,  175 
Food  values,  135-149 
French  salad  dressing,  receipt, 

329 

French  toast,  receipt,  347 
Fruit,  buying,  124 

canning,  176,  179 

food  value  of,  175 

jars,   testing  and   sterilizing, 
178 

preserving,  175-182 
Fruit  salad,  receipt,  330 
Fruit  sauce,  receipt,  351 
Fruits,  cooked,  receipt,  358 

for  children,  211 

fresh,  stewed,  receipt,  360 
Fruit  stains,  to  remove,  99 
Fuel   value   of   food    material, 

table,  285 

Furnishing,  suggestions,  79-81 
Furniture,   oiling  and   waxing, 

84 

Furniture  polish,  receipt,  85 
Furniture  staining,  84 

Garbage.  262-281 

cans,  264,  274 

definition  of,  273 

disposal  of,  264 

incineration  of,  278 

laws  concerning,  263,  273 

odors  and  decay.  274 

reduction  of,  275-278 
Gas  meter,  to  read,  86 


General  suggestions,  9 
German  horseradish  sauce,  re- 
ceipt, 326 

Ginger  bread,  receipt,  355 
Glue,  to  remove,  100 
Goldenrod  eggs,  receipt,  303 
Grape  jelly,  receipt,  363 
Grape  marmalade,  receipt,  362 
Grass  stains,  to  remove,  TOO 
Gravy  for  cold  meats,  receipt, 

316 

Grease  stains,  to  remove,  100 
Gruels,  receipt,  316 

Hair,  care  of,  229 
Halibut,  baked,  receipt,  308 
Hamburg  steak,  receipt,  311 
Hands  and  nails,  care  of,  229 
Hard  sauce,  receipt,  352 
Health  in  the  home,  3 
Heating,  10 
Hermits,  receipt,  356 
Home  making,  3 
Home,  selecting  a,  5-13 
Hominy  pudding,  receipt,  293 
Horseradish  sauce,  receipt,  326 
Hot-air  heating,  10 
Hot  pot,  receipt,  313 
Hot  water  heating,  10 
Hot  weather  lesson,  249-261 
Household  management,  127 
Housing  laws  in  cities,  1 1 
Hygiene,  personal,  225-235 

Ice-box,  care  of,  30 
Ice  cream,  receipt,  349 
Incineration  of  garbage,  271-281 
Indian  meal   pudding,   receipt, 

344 
Income,   definition   of    income, 

126 

division  of,  127-130 
Infants'  bottles,  208 
Infants'  food,  203-210 
Infants,  lime  water  for,  210 


INDEX 


379 


Infection,  233 

Ink  stains,  to  remove,  100 

Inside  conditions,  8 

Invalid,  care  of,  240  et  seq. 

Invalid's  tray,  243 

Ironing,  equipment  for,  93,  107 

Irons,  care  of,  109 

Ironware,  to  remove  rust  from, 

28 
Italian  dishes,  receipt,  365 

Jams,  receipts,  362 

Jars,  to  test  and  sterilize  fruit, 

178 

Jellies,  receipts,  362 
Jell-bag,  178 
Jelly-glasses,  181 
Johnny  cake,  195 
Junket,  receipt,  349 
Junket  ice  cream,  350 

Kerosene  stains,  to  remove,  100 
Kitchen,  cleaning,  31-36 

equipment,  16 

furnishing,  14-16 

sinks,  15,  27 

scrubbing,  table,  26 

stove,  16-23 

ventilation  of,  14 

washing  utensils,  23 

work,  16 
Kosher,  369 

Lamb,  methods  of  cutting,  119 
Laundering,  baby's  clothes,  202 

blankets,  105 

colored  clothes,  105 

flannels,  104 

silks,  106 

skirts,  108 

stockings,  106 

table  linen,  101 

underclothes,  108 

woolens,  104 
Laundry  equipment,  89-93 


Laundry  materials,  93 
Laundry  work, 

cleaning  tubs,  107 

hanging  clothes,  102 

ironing,  107 

removing  stains, 

soaking  clothes,  101 

sorting  clothes,  94 

starching  clothes,  103 
Lemon    milk    sherbet,    receipt, 

350 

Lentil  soup,  receipt,  297 
Lentils  and  rice,  receipt,  365 
Lettuce  sandwiches,  receipt,  342 
Lima  beans  and  barley,  370 
Linens,  laundering,  103 
Liquid  waste,  see  sewage 
Living-room,  care  of,  51 
Locks,  repairing,  9,  85 
Luncheon  and  supper  table,  42 

Macaroni,  receipt,  324 
Macaroni  with  tomato,  receipt, 

365 

Marketing,  110-112 
Marketing,  fruit,  124 
Marketing,  vegetables,  124 
Marmalade,  making,  181 
Marmalade  receipts, 

grape,  362 

orange,  362 

rhubarb,  362 
Mayonnaise    dressing,    receipt, 

328 

Meat  pie,  receipt,  314 
Meat  sandwiches,  receipt,  342 
Meat  sauce,  receipt,  327 
Menus,   sample,    154,    157,   159, 

1 60,  161 

Milk,  food  value  of,  154 
Milk  sauce  for  fish,  receipt,  309 
Minced  meat  on  toast,  receipt, 

3ii 

Mint  sauce,  receipt,  327 
Mock  bisque  soup,  receipt,  298 


INDEX 


Molasses  sauce,  receipt,  352 
Mold,  causes  of,  in  closets,  32 
Money,  saving,  86-88 
Mosquitoes,  dangers  from,  251 
Muffins,  no  egg,  receipt,  334 
Mumps,  197 
Mushroom  and  bread  omelet, 

receipt,  339 
Mutton  broth,  receipt,  300 

Nickel,  to  clean,  67 
Noodles  and  cheese,  receipt,  369 
Nursing,  baby,  193 
Nursing,  sick,  235-248 
Nut  loaf,  371 

Oatmeal  and  potatoes,  receipt, 

369 

Oatmeal  cakes,  receipt,  357 
Oatmeal  gruel,  receipt,  290 
Oatmeal  muffins,  receipt,  335, 

338 

Omelet,  receipt,  304 
Onion  sauce,  receipt,  327 
Open  fires,  10 
Orange  juice,  360 
Orange  marmalade,  receipt,  362 
Outside  conditions,  7 
Oyster  soup,  receipt,  299 

Packing  away  for  hot  weather, 

250 

Parson's  pie,  receipt,  348 
Pea  soup,  receipt,  369 
Peas,  322 

Peas,  food  value,  161 
Picnics,  258 

Pigs  in  clover,  receipt,  311 
Pipes,  to  clear  of  grease,  74 
Plain  stew,  receipt,  312 
Plumbing  laws,  70-73 
Plumbing  troubles,  68-70 
Poached  eggs,  receipt,  304 
Polenta,  receipt,  366 
Potato  pancake,  receipt,  321 
Potato  salad,  receipt,  329 


Potato   with    meat   gravy,    re- 
ceipt, 317 

Potatoes,   baked,   creamed,   re- 
ceipt, 319 

browned,  receipt,  319 
creamed,  with  cheese,  receipt, 

320 

Potatoes,  food  value,  145 
Potatoes,  fried,  receipt,  320 
Pots,  pans,  and  kettles,  to  clean, 

25 

Preserving  fruit,  175-182 
Prune  jelly,  receipt,  359 
Prunes,  stewed,  receipt,  359 
Pudding  sauces,  receipt,  351 
Puddings,  receipt,  344 

Rack  for  writing  desk,  49 
Radiator  box,  38 
Raspberry  jam,  receipt,  363 
Raw  beef  sandwiches,  receipt, 

342 
RECEIPTS 

albumen  water,  315 

apple,  baked,  358 

apple  and  water  cress  salad, 
330 

apple  dumpling,  345 

apple  pudding,  344,  345 

apple  sauce,  358,  359 

apple  snow,  346 

apple,  steamed,  360 

apple  tapioca,  346 

arrowroot  blanc  mange,  350 

asparagus  tips,  325 

baked  beans,  323 

baked  corn,  323 

baked  custard,  349 

baked    halibut    with    tomato 
sauce,  308 

baking-powder  biscuits,  335 

barley  gruel,  290 

beans  and  green  peppers,  370 

beans  and  pasta,  365 

beef  broth,  300 


INDEX 


Receipts  —  cQntinued 
beef  croquettes,  314 
beef  juice,  299 
beef  kidney  stew,  316 
beef  stew,  310 
beets,  322 
blanc  mange,  349 
boiled  salad  dressing,  328 
braised  beef,  313 
bread  and  butter  apple  pud- 
ding, 344 
bread  omelet,  338 
bread  puddings,  347 
brown  bread,  338 
brown  sugar  sauce,  351 
buckwheat  griddle  cakes,  336 
cakes,  353 

cannelon  of  beef,  315 
caramel  custard,  350 
caramel  sauce,  351 
carrots,  323 
casserole  of  meat   and   rice, 

310 

celery,  sandwiches,  342 
celery  soup,  298 
cereals  for  children,  289 
cheese   and  nut   sandwiches, 

341 
cheese  and  olive  sandwiches, 

34i 

cheese  crackers,  332 
cheese  fondu,  332 
cheese  sandwiches,  341 
cheese  sticks,  333 
chicken  broth,  301 
chocolate  frosting  with  nuts, 

355 

chocolate  sauce,  352 
chops  —  lamb  or  mutton,  315 
cinnamon  cakes,  355 
clam  chowder,  297 
clear  vegetable  soup,  300 
coddled  eggs,  304 
codfish  balls,  306 
codfish  hash,  306 


Receipts  —  continued 
codfish  pudding,  309 
cookies,  356 
corn  bread,  196 
corn  soup,  298 
corned  beef  hash,  312 
cornmeal  and  syrup,  293 
cornmeal  griddle  cakes,  337 
cottage  cheese,  332 
cottage  pie,  316 
crabapple  jelly,  363 
cranberry  jelly,  364 
cranberry  sauce,  364 
cream  of  tomato  soup,  295 
cream  sauce  for  oysters,  327 
cream  soups,  301 
creamed  eggs,  303 
creamed  potatoes  with  cheese, 

320 

currant  jelly,  363 
desserts,  344 
dried  apple  sauce,  359 
dried  bread,  336 
dried  Lima  beans  and  pasta, 

366 

dry  toast,  340 
Dutch  apple  cake,  354 
egg  muffins,  334 
egg  sandwiches,  341 
eggs,  coddled,  304 
eggs,  creamed,  303 
eggs,  goldenrod,  303 
eggs  in  a  nest,  302 
eggs,  scrambled,  303 
eggs,  soft-boiled,  302 
eggs,  Spanish  style,  304 
farina  with  dates,  294 
feather  cake,  354 
fish,  baked,  307 
fish  balls,  306 
fish  chowder,  295 
fish  sandwiches,  342 
French  salad  dressing,  329 
French  toast,  347 
fruit  salad,  330 


INDEX 


Receipts  —  continued 
fruit  sauce,  351 
fruits,  cooked,  358 
fruits,  fresh,  stewed,  360 
German    horseradish    sauce, 

326 

ginger  bread,  355 
goldenrod  eggs,  303 
grape  jelly,  363 
grape  marmalade,  362 
gravy  for  cold  meats,  316 
gruels,  290 
halibut,  baked,  308 
Hamburg  steak,  311 
hard  sauce,  352 
hermits,  356 
hominy  pudding,  293 
horseradish  sauce,  326 
hot  pot,  313 
ice  cream,  349 
Indian  meal  pudding,  344 
Italian  dishes,  365 
jellies,  362 
Johnny  cake,  195 
junket,  349 
junket  ice  cream,  350 
kosher,  369 

lemon  milk  sherbet,  350 
lentil  soup,  297 
lentils  and  rice,  365 
lettuce  sandwiches,  342 
Lima  beans  and  barley,  370 
macaroni,  324 
macaroni  with  tomato,  365 
macaroni,  baked,  with  cheese, 

324 

marmalade,  grape,  362 
marmalade,  orange,  362 
marmalade,  rhubarb,  362 
mayonnaise  dressing,  328 
meat  pie,  314 
meat  sandwiches,  342 
meat  sauce,  327 
milk  sauce  for  fish,  309 
minced  meat  on  toast,  311 
mint  sauce,  327 


Receipts  —  continued 
mock  bisque  soup,  298 
molasses  sauce,  352 
muffins,  no  egg,  334 
mushrooms  and  bread  omelet, 

339 

mutton  broth,  300 
noodles  and  cheese,  369 
nut  loaf,  371 

oatmeal  and  potatoes,  369 
oatmeal  cakes,  357 
oatmeal  gruel,  290 
oatmeal  muffins,  335,  338 
omelet.  304 
onion  sauce,  327 
orange  juice,  360 
orange  marmalade,  362 
oyster  soup,  299 
parson's  pie,  348 
pea  soup,  369 
peas,  322 

pigs  in  clover,  311 
plain  stew,  312 
poached  eggs,  304 
polenta,  366 
potato  pancake,  321 
potato  salad,  329 
potato  with  meat  gravy,  317 
potatoes,  baked,  creamed,  319 
potatoes,  browned,  319 
potatoes,       creamed,       with 

cheese,  320 
potatoes,  fried,  320 
prime  jelly,  359 
prunes,  stewed,  359 
pudding  sauces,  351 
puddings,  344 
raspberry  jam,  363 
raw  beef  sandwiches,  342 
rhubarb  marmalade,  362 
rice  and  beans,  367 
rice  and  cheese,  292 
rice  and  pea  soup,  365 
rice,  boiled,  291 
rice  croquettes,  292 
rice  pudding,  348 


INDEX 


383 


Receipts  —  continued 
rice,  steamed,  291 
rice  with  tomato  and  cheese, 

366 

risotto,  367 
salads,  328 
samp,  293 
sandwiches,  341 
scalloped  apples,  346 
Scotch  broth,  296 
scrambled  eggs,  313 
short  cake,  336 
shredded  codfish  balls,  306 
soft  custard,  348 
sour  milk  griddle  cakes,  337 
Spanish  cake,  353 
spice  cake,  354 
spiced  pudding,  345 
spinach,  321 
squash,  323 
steamed  rice,  chocolate  sauce, 

345 

stew,  plain,  312 
stewed  celery,  322 
string  beans,  321 
stuffed  spare  rib,  314 
toast,  340 
tomato  sauce,  326 
tripe  soup,  297 
vegetable    soup    with    meat, 

296 
vegetable  soup  with  spaghetti, 

296 
water  cress  and  -apple  salad, 

330 

water  cress  sandwiches,  343 
white  beans  and  rice,  370 
white  potatoes,  325 
white  sauce,  290,  327,  340 
zwieback,  339 
Reduction    plant    for    garbage 

disposal,  279 
Refuse,  262-281 
by-products  from,  280 
disposal  of,  264 


Rhubarb    marmalade,     receipt, 

362 

Rice  and  beans,  receipt,  367 
Rice  and  cheese,  receipt,  292 
Rice  and  pea  soup,  receipt,  265 
Rice,  boiled,  receipt,  291 
Rice  croquettes,  receipt,  292 
Rice  pudding,  receipt,  348 
Rice,  steamed,  receipt,  291 
Rice  with  tomato  and  cheese, 

receipt,  366 
Risotto,  receipt,  367 
Roasting  time-table,  167 
Rubbing-board  for  laundry,  91 
Rubbish,  definition  of,  271 
disposal  of,  264  et  seq. 


Salads,  receipt,  259,  328 
Samp,  receipt,  293 
Sandwiches,  receipt,  341 
Scalloped  apples,  receipt,  346 
Scotch  broth,  receipt,  296 
Scouring  material,  35 
Scrambled  eggs,  receipt,  313 
Scrubbing  unpainted  floors,  35 
Selecting  a  home,  5-13 
Servants,  management  of,  42- 

44 

Servants'  rooms,  10 
Sewage,  267 
Sheets,  to  change,  for  invalids, 

240 

Short  cake,  receipt,  336 
Shredded  codfish  balls,  receipt, 

306 
Sick  room,  care  of,  235-248 

model,  235 
Silks,  to  wash,  106 
Silver,  to  clean,  45 
Skirts,  to  iron,  108 
Skin,  care  of,  226 
Sleep,  for  baby,  200 

for  children,  212 
Soft  custard,  receipt,  348 


384 


INDEX 


Soups,  295 

for  children,  299 
Sour   milk   griddle   cakes,   re- 
ceipt, 337 

Spanish  cake,  receipt,  353 
Spice  cake,  receipt,  354 
Spiced  pudding,  receipt,  345 
Spinach,  receipt,  321 
Starch,  to  make,  104 
Starched  clothes,  103 
Steam  heating,  10 
Steamed  rice,  chocolate  sauce, 

345 

Sterilization,  definition,  248 
Stew,  plain,  receipt,  312 
Stewed  celery,  receipt,  322 
Stockings,  laundering,  106 
Stove,  to  black  the  kitchen,  21 

coal,  16-23 

Stoves,  coal,  wood,  and  gas,  10 
Street  sweepings,  267 

disposal  of,  269 
String  beans,  receipt,  321 
Stuffed  spare  rib,  receipt,  314 
Summer,  food,  255 

furnishings,  250 

marketing,  257 
Sunburn,  treatment  of,  247 


Table  etiquette,  46 

Table,  setting,  39-44 

Tea  stains,  to  remove,  99 

Tea-table,  38 

Teeth,  care  of  adult's,  230 
care  of  children's.  215 
care  of  invalid's,  240 

Time-table  for  baking,  168 
for  cooking  cereals,  155,  289 
for  roasting  meats,  167 

Tinware,  to  clean,  28 

Toast,  receipt,  340 

Tomato   sauce,   receipt,  326 

Tools,  essential,  88 

Tripe  soup,  receipt,  297 


Tubs,  to  clean,  107 
Tubs  for  laundry,  90 

Underclothes,  94 
ironing,  109 
laundering,  108 

Vegetable  soup,  with  meat,  re- 
ceipt, 296 

with  spaghetti,  receipt,  296 
Vegetables,  buying,  124 

cooking,  172 

food  value  of,  145-149 

time-table   for  cooking,   172 
Vermin  preventive,  35 

Wagon    grease    stains,    to    re- 
move, 101 
Walls,  to  paper,  82 
Wash  tubs,  to  clean,  76 
Washing  windows,  34 
Water-closets,  to  clean,  75 
Water   cress   and   apple   salad, 

.eceipt,  330 

"^  ater    cress    sandwiches,    re- 
ceipt, 343 
Water,  danger  from,  233 

benefits  to  r/ealth  from,  141 
Wax  stains,  '/o  remove,  101 
Weights  and  measures,  151 
White  beans  and  rice,  receipt, 

3/0 

White  potatoes,  receipt,  325 
White  sauce,  receipts,  290,  327, 

340 

Whooping-cough,  197 
Window  hangings,  selecting,  83 
Window  seat,  38 
Window  shelf  as  an  ice-box,  29 
Windows,  washing,  34 
Wine  stains,  to  remove,  101 
Woman's   place  in  the  house- 
hold partnership,  4 
Wood,  buying,  23 


INDEX  385 

Woodenware,  to  buy,  28  Worsteds,  making  of,  98 

Woodwork,  to  clean,  34,  65  Wringer  for  laundry,  91 
Woolens,  laundering,  104 

Woolens,  manufacture  of,  98  Zwieback,  receipt,  339 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

AN  INITIAL  FINE  OP  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


D£C    ^6  J934 

^!Nov'58A|( 

APR     t*  1935 

' 

V    ' 

S£P  #7   10S5 

*»Vv/ 

££B      ft       IQTT 

\J          1  JJJ  i 

—  fcffl-B  f^a  

11  1938 

MOV   5  1QA1W 

MAY  31  ,91g 

/ 

LD  21-100m-7,'33 

YB  67991 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

,.  ..v   a  • 


